The Long Con
by Emmett-u-fool
Summary: "I got into this business for all the wrong reasons, at first I just needed the money, but now I'm starting to enjoy it. And now that Alice has met someone with hobbies like my own, will i have a reason to leave? Stealing paintings and Robbing places just got a whole lot harder." Summary change. AH Rated T, may change with later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone! This idea has been rattling around in my head for so long and I thought I might publish it and see how it goes and what kind of feedback I get, I've written a second chapter already so if I get enough positive feedback and people would be interested to read I would love to publish more in the middle of my other story (SFX)  
Hope you all enjoy! Xxx

Just a little bit to the left and….

Ah, got it.

The dial on the safe clicked. Swinging it open I was faced with gold bullions. I have been after this for months. Getting close to my target. The moment was finally here.

But I needed to be quick. I could hear the laughter of our guests outside, glasses clinking alerted me of the closing of the speech.

The heavy bullions clanked together as I chucked them into a duffle bag.

I glanced at my watch, 5 minutes. I needed to get downstairs now. I carefully closed the painting door over the safe and removed my gloves.

I needed to be quiet in order to get this done, I didn't need anyone knowing of my plan.

Fuck this duffle is heavy. My arm strained at the weight. But I couldn't focus on that at the moment.

I had been waiting months for a window, just a small window of time to pull this off. It was last month when he told me that he wanted to get the downstairs study remodeled.

Tonight was the night. I stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked down the corridor towards the front door. Caterers lingered. 4 of them in a small group gossiping.

"Ah fuck" I muttered to myself, they didn't look like they were moving anytime soon.

I dropped the duffle bag and slid it under a glass cabinet next to the stairs, effectively hiding it to any passerby's.

Taking a deep breath and squaring my shoulders, I clacked my heals loudly on the marble floor so the 4 would hear and made my way towards them.

"What, do you think im paying you to stand there and gossip about your private lives? I have a quarter ounce of caviar that is supposed to be making its way to our guests right now. Where is it?" I all but yelled at them, pointing in the direction of the kitchen.

A brave one spoke up, "So sorry Miss Burke, it won't happen again" The 4 of the scurried away and soon the corridor was empty. Perfect.

I spun back around to retrieve my bag but slammed into a hard chest. Strong hands incased my forearms and held me upright.

I looked up and found myself face to face with Peter.

"Claire Darling, I've been looking all over for you, are you alright?" He said brushing a stray hair from my face.

I stepped back and peered over his shoulder at the duffle. Still there.

I looked back at Peter. Hmm still there. I had no idea how I was going to get out of this one.

"Im fine, thank you. I was just checking on the caterers, making sure they were doing what their being paid for"

I couldn't help but keep glancing behind him to the duffle. I needed to get out of here.

He seemed pleased with my answer though. "I feel I haven't seen you all night, I haven't even gotten to tell you how stunning you look, Claire you're a vision" He stepped back and looked over my body.

"Thank you Peter, You're looking just as dapper, you'll have to thank the tailor; the suit is cut to precision" I was starting to sweat, I was so close to going through with this, I didn't need any unexpected interruptions. As if on cue there was a loud crash that came from the kitchen.

"I better go and check that out, I'll see you tonight. Ill fetch us a bottle of champagne when the party is over and bring it up to bed" He left a kiss on my forehead and winked as he turned and left me alone in the hallway.

I looked down at my watch. 1 minute. Fuck.

I hurried down the corridor and fished the bag out from under the cabinet. The front door was only meters away but it felt like an unending hallway, the ones in your dreams that got further away the more you walked towards it.

Flinging the door open I quickly caught sight of the Painters truck. The workers who were painting the study were loading all the equipment onto their van. Yes, just in time.

The workers were making their way over to the front door to collect their tool bags. From the small pile of bags, a grey duffle with a white name tag stood out, the name on the tag read "Rosalie".

I quickly swapped out the two duffle bags and carried my new one, filled with tools towards the garage. From behind me I heard the workers walking back to their van to load up. Got there just in time. I retrieved a set of car keys from bag before swinging the duffle over a large bush to discard it. Someone won't be finding that one for a while.

The garage door opened with just a touch of a button. I didn't take my sweet time in hoping in my car and making my escape. The car roared the life and rolled out of the garage towards the front gate, I couldn't help but look at the home I spent the last few months living in. Large arched windows, Sandstone exterior. The home was stunning, the inside was even better. But in all honesty, I couldn't wait to get out of there.

I waited until I was on the road to make my phone call. "This is Alice" She answered.

"It's done, the package is on its way to the drop"

"Yes! I knew you could do it!" She squealed, I could almost see her smile through the phone.

"I'll be back at the apartment soon, I couldn't wait to get this finished" I admitted.

"You did good Bella, It was a long con, but you did it. I'll see you when you get here"

The line cut out and I pulled the dodgy untraceable phone from my ear and chucked it out the window. I kept my gaze on it in my revision mirror, a passing truck crushed it to pieces.

Finally, I get to go home.


	2. Chapter 2

Decided to continue on with the story, im really enjoying writing it so far, I've been so obsessed with con men lately and have been sourcing my ideas from numerous places haha! Hope you guys love it! Xxx

* * *

"Bella you're here!"

Alice engulfed me in a bear hug, her head only just reaching my shoulders. "It's been hard without you, you've been gone for so long and it's good to finally have you home"

We finally pulled apart and I dropped myself onto our couch. "It's good to see you too Alice, Im glad im back in New York finally"

"Don't relax just yet," She winked and strutted over to her desk, "I've got another job for us"

"Alice are you kidding? I got home 5 minutes ago and your already giving me another one"

"I wouldn't but this one is time sensitive, we only have a day or two before the painting is sent away to Japan"

Hearing of a painting sparked my interest immediately, "The Raphael? It's in New York?"

"Only for a limited time, the museum in Japan found a buyer, I heard through the grape vine its being held at Capital one" My eyes widened.

"Capital one? Alice are you fucking kidding me, I can only just imagine how good their security is" She snorted before tapping away at her computer and pulling up blueprints and surveillance pictures on the monitors above.

"Surprisingly not, While you were away I took the liberty of scouting out our target" She pointed to a picture on a monitor of a young woman in her early thirties walking out of the side doors of the building and continued, "Due to their relocation, their security hasn't been fully rolled out yet. Security is tight on the door but the back door for staff only has an 8 digit access code that gets changed once a month. It'd be a piece of cake for you!"

I rolled my eyes at her but nodded in agreement, "What do I need to do then?"

She squealed, clasped her hands together and chucked me a Manilla envelope, "Ah Bella this is going to be great!"

* * *

My peep toe heals clacked against the pavement and the empty cylinder case bobbed against my back with every step I took. I was a few meters from reaching the alleyway beside the bank. I peeked around the corner and saw the alleyway was deserted. I quickly made my way to the staff entrance and waited for Alice to send me the code.

I immediately felt my phone buzz in my breast pocket and retrieved it. 92674567.

I punched in the code quickly and made my way down a small corridor, but before moving any further I toed off my heels and grabbed a pair of black Nikes from my bag and slipped them on. After that I discarded my bag under a utility shelf and searched for the Janitors closet. It didn't take me long to find it and it made it especially easier when it had its own sign dangling from the roof.

Inside were 3 grey colored overalls hanging from hooks on the wall, after quickly slipping it on I grabbed the wheelie bin and a small hand saw from a tool shelf. I threw it into the bin and took off down the hallway, grabbing my handbag along the way and placing it into the bin as well.

I passed a staff lunch room on my way down the corridor, thankfully the men inside were too busy watching the Television to notice a young woman who wasn't an employee.

This plan had better work. Alice scouted the place thoroughly, even making 'friends' with a young man who worked on the third floor to get Intel on their security systems.

I finally caught sight of the clear tubes, mail and packages shooting through them. I looked around, checking if it was all clear before grabbing the handsaw and my handbag out of the bin. I didn't take me long to cut through their message delivery system and slip in a package of my own. Quickly moving the clear cylinder back into place, I removed the overalls and retrieved my heels from my handback and slipped them back on, Smoothing my grey pencil skirt and blouse out before slinging my handbag and cylinder case over my shoulder.

After rounding a few corners and taking a flight of stairs up, I was in the lobby of the building. Wow Alice wasn't kidding, front door security was tight, everyone who entered had to go through metal scanners and from the bulge on the back of the security guards jacket he was carrying a gun.

I didn't take long scouting out my surroundings, two security guards by the door, a plain clothed security guard standing by the withdrawal desk and about 10 cameras throughout the room.

There was a man sitting at the front desk, mid 30's with an olive skinned complexion and dark brown hair. He smiled politely as I walked towards him.

I held out my hand to him. This better fucking work.

"Good morning, Im Alexandra Barton" He shook my hand

"Hello im Chris, How can I help you today?" He asked with a smile.

"Today is my first day"

His polite smile faltered and was replaced with a confused frown, "we weren't expecting any new members today" He stated while flipping through his notebook.

"I spoke to Cassandra in HR today, there must be some mistake, She said my welcome pack should be ready for my arrival at the front desk" I prayed to god my package got sent here or else I had some explaining to do.

He stood up from his desk and I quickly caught eye of his access badge attached to his suit jacket pocket. He came back moments later with the package I sent up the Shute earlier. I inwardly sighed in relief.

"Im so sorry for the confusion Ms. Barton, Welcome packet is right here" He apologized and fished out my own access badge that Alice had skillfully forged.

"That's no trouble at all Chris" I replied as he walked with me to the staff door. He scanned my access card against the scanner on the wall, it declined as expected.

"Ah am I fired already?" I joked.

He smiled and retrieved his own, "Sorry about that, first day glitches, well get that fixed up with our tech team"

He held the door open for me and I slipped in before turning around and stepping closer to him. "Oh you have a piece of lint on your jacket let me get that"

My left hand picked at the imaginary fluff on his shoulder while my right hand skillfully grabbed his access badge undetected. I stepped back and grinned, "Got it, thank you for your help Chris"

"Enjoy your day Alexandra" I gave him a short wave and took off down the hallway.

At the end of the hallway was a vault, the barred doors needed a code to be opened. The same 8 digit code used for the staff door outside. Easy.

The next door I came to needed the access badge, which thankfully I had. From here was a room which split off into a few other rooms, the one to the left was the one I needed.

As soon as I entered I saw it.

The Raphael.

It was exquisite.

I took it from its spot on the wall and turned it over. After taking my pocket knife from my bag, I cut the edges of the painting and rolled it up, placing it into my cylinder case.

I left as quickly as I came, walking past a busy Chris who didn't even notice me leave past him. I smiled at the two security guards before walking straight out the front door and down the street.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Alice's number, "You out?" She questioned.

"In and out just like you said, I have it"

"Great, I'll call our guy, see you in a bit" The line disconnected a second later. I was jumping for joy in my head. On my back was a $6 million dollar painting. Now all I have to do is get home without getting caught.

* * *

Remember to review guys! Will be establishing the characters in the next chapter, can't wait! Xxx


	3. Chapter 3

Alice had been on the phone with our black market dealer for over an hour now. I had brought the painting home and begun the authentication process, it was defiantly the real one.

From behind me I heard the door close and I spun to see who had entered. "Rosalie What the fuck? Where have you been? It's been days since we finished with Peter"

She rolled her eyes at me and chucked the bag filled with what I imagined to be gold on the floor. She got it. I spent the last few days thinking Peter and his men had caught her. I couldn't be more relieved now that she's home.

"I stashed the gold at a location nearby and went back to check on Peter. See how he reacted with his gold gone. Boy was he furious" She whistled and let out a chuckle, "He thinks the person who stole it kidnapped you, but that's good I guess, He doesn't suspect you. But he will go to the authorities and once they run a background check on Claire Burke that alias is burned"

I nodded sadly, "That's kind of sad, I liked Claire, the wealthy lawyer" Claire had always been my favorite alias, im sad to see her go.

The sound of the TV in the background caught my attention.

" _\- Painting mysteriously disappeared in the middle of a busy work day at Central One, Police and FBI are working to find the culprit, but so far have turned up no leads. We will give you more information as it comes in, back to you Diane"_

I couldn't help but grin, a clean con is a good con. Rosalie smirked at me before making her way over to the couch, "Let me guess, that was your doing?"

I laughed and sat down next to her, spreading myself out and draping my legs over hers, "The Raphael"

I slightly heard her intake of breath get caught in her throat and she coughed loudly before turning to me with wide eyes, "You're kidding me. Where is it?"

She instantly stood up, knocking my feet off her and onto the floor, she scanned the room quickly and looked to the closed door where Alice was still on the phone. "Alice called Jimmy already? I haven't even had time to look at it yet"

"He's lining up a buyer, the painting will still be with us for a few days, more than enough time for you to see it" She beamed at me.

"We have to celebrate!"

"Did I hear someone say celebrate?" Alice said bounding through the now open door and jumping on the arm of the lounge in excitement. She looked like a dog that just got told it was time for a walk. Now all she needed was some fur, a snout and a collar and she'd look the part.

"I heard there's a new bar opened up down the road called the 'SOHO', I've wanted to go check it out for ages! Apparently they make the best margaritas!" Alice bounced up and down. Even if I said no to going to this bar, I'd be dragged along anyway.

I rolled my eyes at her and made my way to my bedroom, "Fine Alice but not for two long, I haven't got a decent night's sleep in ages"

Rosalie and Alice bounded into their own bedrooms and slammed the door, we wouldn't be leaving for another hour or 2. They had to pick their outfit and do their makeup which always takes at least an hour.

I laid down on my bed and cuddled up onto my pillow. Sometimes I wish I never chose this life. The constant hiding and lying. It just didn't end.

I lived across the other side of the country when I was younger, a small town named forks, it wasn't too far from Seattle and populated a few thousand people. I was just like any normal teenage girl, I studied hard, had a small group of friends, I graduated and went off to college to pursue Art and History.

It worked out for a while, but then I realized it just wasn't something I wanted. I fell in with a bad crowd at my time at the University of Washington. I met a guy named James, he seemed innocent at first but I soon found out the type of person he was. He stole things to make his money. He taught me how to con, how to pick pocket, He taught me some of the tricks of the trade. The rest I learnt myself.

I taught myself, with my extensive knowledge of the arts, how to forge things. Around my senior year of collage I broke away from James and became a lone wolf, pulling my own cons. Small ones at first, but the more I did them, the more I craved the rush they gave me. I will admit, I got good. Really good.

The Con world knew who I was, what I could do. I felt respected, but that much popularity came with enemies. James became one of those enemies.

During one of my smaller heists, after my graduation from collage. I was in the middle of obtaining a rare Gem from southern Africa, cut to precision and worth over 1.5 million, when the alarms that I had disabled came back on with a loud screech. I could hear the Police sirens halfway down the street. The doors had locked behind me, I was trapped. Luckily the Air vent above the Gems podium was not locked and I was able to slip away and out into the back alley before the police could storm into the place. When I was leaving the alleyway, I was about a block or two away when I spotted James who stood at a car waiting. I knew it was him who enabled the alarm system. The usually busy street was empty as it was about 2 in the morning.

He shot me that night. Right in the shoulder. A passerby called the Ambulance and delivered me to the hospital, that's where I met Rose. She was a nurse when I had met her, she lived in a small apartment about a dozen blocks away. Rose saw the News report about the Gem and immediately assumed it was me. An old security camera out the back of the building caught the side of my face, I wasn't even recognizable, but Rose knew.

Instead of ratting me out, she wanted in. She wanted out of that normal life she had, she pleaded to let me follow her and teach her what I knew. She stitched up my wound and after that, we ran. Straight for New York. We'd been as close as sisters ever since.

She had a snarky personality but deep down she had a heart of gold, the most loyal person id ever met.

I rubbed my shoulder, circling my thumb on my scar. I hadn't seen James ever since.

But I suppose that was a good thing.

Looking over at the clock on my bedside table I saw that an hour had passed already. I jumped up and walked towards my closet, picking out a simple pair of black high waisted skinny jeans and a Red Lace crop top. I slipped on a pair of black heeled boots a few moments later. Now all I had to worry about was my make-up and hair.

On the way to my bathroom I walked past a large floor length mirror. I took a double take as I walked past and took a moment to study my mop of brown hair. My usual loose curls were a tangled mess, I looked as if I could have been housing birds in my hair. I groaned and continued on towards the bathroom.

I decided on just pulling my hair up into a simple bun, pulling out a few strands to dangle down on my face. Alright make up time.

If I didn't live with Alice, there would be no way in hell id be wearing any makeup. But whatever Alice says goes.

I decided on just some Mac powdered foundation, some blush, a touch of eyeshadow and some Mascara. In about 10 minutes in the bathroom my entire look was complete. I took the Mac compact with me when I exited my room and made beeline towards the table next to our front door. My Clutch sat on the table next to my keys and my phone. I shoved the compact inside just in case.

I turned at the sound of both bedroom doors opening and Alice and Rosalie making their way out. They looked stunning as usual, there was a reason why it took them so long to get ready.

"You ready" Alice questioned as she bounced over to me and linked her arm in mine. I sighed inwardly.

"As I'll ever be Alice"

Yes! Another chapter done! This story is so exciting for me! I hope you guys are enjoying it just as much. Please remember to leave feedback as it helps me so much! Let me know what you think xxx


	4. Chapter 4

The new club was a few blocks away from our home. We decided it would just be best to walk rather than catch a cab as it wasn't that far anyway. I could hear Alice behind me whining about how her feet hurt already.

"Alice, were here" She huffed at me and stormed passed, walking straight up to the bouncer and flashing a flirty smile.

I couldn't hear what she whispered to him after that.

"How does she do that" Rose said, coming up behind me and resting her arm on my shoulder. Alice always had a skill of being very persuasive.

"I honestly have no idea" I replied. A few moments later Alice turned and waved to us to enter the club with her.

Rose laughed and followed. As I walked through the door, I passed the front of the line and watched as people glared at us. I chuckled and waved at the strangers.

The club was huge, a large dance floor in the middle of the room and a bar that stretched across the whole back wall, more liquor then I'd ever seen filled up the shelves on the wall. Alice lead us to the left side of the club and up the stairs to another level, the sign above the entrance way told me it was the VIP area.

Alice took a seat in a lounge chair in the corner of the room, closest to the private bar while Rose announced to us she was going to grab a bottle of champagne. I sat next to Alice and took a look around the room. A group of people across from us had a bottle of Bollinger delivered to their table, a 2000 dollar bottle of champagne, the man at the table payed no attention to the person who set it down in front of him and chucked a roll of cash at him.

I rolled my eyes, he was a 40 year old man surrounded by gold digging women who were hanging off of him, laughing at everything that came out of his mouth. He was a fake, experiencing a night that's going to put him in debt for the next few months. His suit was cheap, I could tell by how it was tailored, the shoulder slopes were not adjusted for him, causing the collar to roll forward across his upper back and neck so bad that I could see it from the front. The buttons were plastic and I could tell the pockets were fake. The tan line around his left ring finger told me he was married.

I scoffed and turned back to Alice. Who was silently bobbing in her seat and looking around the room. "Where is Rose?" she asked turning to the bar, a small smile rose on her face, "Ahh I see"

I turned to see what she was looking at. Rose at the bar with a guy. He was large and I swear that's an understatement. She looked over at us and gestured for us to come over.

Alice volunteered to stay at the table while I went to meet Rosalie's new friend.

He had the deepest green eyes and curly brown hair. He looked tough, not someone id want to mess with.

He gave me a goofy smile and held out his hand, "Hey im Emmett"

I take back my previous statement. This guy is a teddy bear.

I smiled in return and shook his hand, "Bella"

"I was just about to show Rosalie a magic trick" It was then that I noticed he had a deck of cards in his hand, I almost rolled my eyes. "Now, would you please pick a card?"

He held the spread out deck in front of her. She giggled and chose a card after a few moments. He then closed the deck and held it out to her, "Now would you place your card on top and cut the deck"

She does as he says but I noticed in that brief moment that she hid the card in her hand. He doesn't notice but continues to shuffle and then place cards down on the bar in front of us. "Now when I stop, the card on top will be yours"

I couldn't help the laugh that came out of my mouth. Rose smirked at me, "My friend thinks it won't be"

"You're wrong" Emmett replied and continued to place the cards down.

"$200 says im right" He stopped placing cards and turned to me. He narrowed his eyes slightly but went back to the cards.

"You're on little miss" He grinned. He placed down three more cards and the last one he placed upwards. Smiling triumphantly at us. "That's your card"

"No its not" The smile wiped of his face immediately.

"But it was supposed to be your card, I don't understand" He shook his head and looked down at the cards in front of him. Rose held out her hand. "She was right, we had a bet"

He pulls a roll of cash out of his pocket and counts $200 before slapping it in her hand and grumbling. She passed it to me before kissing him softly on the cheek, "Sorry Emmett, better luck next time"

Rose and I chuckled at him before walking away. But before we could go anywhere a blond headed guy pulled her back by her hand and pulled the hidden card out of her hand and slammed it on the table.

"I believe that was your card, right?" He rolled his eyes at us and turned his attention to Emmett, "You're an idiot and they played you."

"Jasper please, I can fight my own battles" The man named Jasper held out his hand to me, obviously wanting the $200 back. I laughed at the two and passed it to him.

"Emmett I swear to god you need to stop making bets with people in bars" The started to argue; me and Rose took that as our cue to leave. I had turned around when I realized Rose had left her drink on the counter. I turned to grab it but bumped into Jasper 'Accidently'. I apologized profusely and skillfully slipped my fingers into his suit pocket undetected.

I grinned inwardly, knowing I just fooled them both. As I turned to leave I was stopped by slamming into the chest of another man. My head spun as I stumbled back and looked up at him.

Oh my god.

This guy didn't even look real. A bronze mane sat upon his head in disarray. And his face. Woah.

A face that could only be created from Greek gods. My eyes traced his tall muscular figure that was hidden beneath his dark navy suit, Fitted to perfection. I felt as if I'd been standing here staring at him for hours, the room moved in slow motion. We made eye contact, I almost felt his jade orbs looking into my soul. His nose was slightly crooked and his jaw line was so defined. He looked like he just jumped out from a Calvin Klein Ad. His scent filled my senses, a manly scent mixed with lavender. I could smell his cologne, it wasn't a strong scent but the hint of it was there.

I let out a breath I hadn't noticed I was holding in and suddenly I became aware of the people around us. The room moved at its normal pace again. His eyes narrowed at me as he slowly reached down and plucked the cash from my fingers.

I felt the electricity from his touch shoot up my arm. The tiny hairs on my arms stood on end. I know he felt that too. From the look on his face, I know he did.

"I'll just take that" He muttered, all I could do was nod. He slipped the cash into his jacket pocket.

He opened his mouth to say something but quickly closed it. He squared his shoulders and glared down at me, brushing past me to leave. I slipped my fingers into his jacket and retrieved the money, yet again. I almost rolled my eyes at how easy it was to pull money off these boys.

Ahead of me, Alice and Rose stood waiting next to the exit. I continued towards them and grinned.

"Wait, what the fuck?" I heard from behind me. I turned my head to see the handsome man tapping his pockets, pulling them inside out before looking up at me in disbelief.

I held up the roll of cash in my two fingers and blew him a kiss with it. Laughing at the look on his face.

He began to pursue but the man from before with his hoard of women blocked his path towards us. The giggles from the women drowned out his protests.

"Another club?" Alice asked once we hurried out the door and out the club.

"Let's do it"


	5. Chapter 5

I couldn't get him out of my head.

It'd been a week since we went to the SOHO. A quiet week thank god. Alice had yet to find me a job, which I was thankful for. After the one with Peter, im not looking to go into another big score anytime soon.

"Alright I'll be back soon" Alice announced strutting to the front door to grab her keys. "How do I look?"

She wore tight black skinny jeans and a flowy white mesh singlet. Her makeup was done to perfection as always. "You look great Alice, What's the special occasion"

She squealed and jumped onto the couch next to me, "I met someone"

I almost choked on the air I inhaled, "Im sorry what?"

Her beaming smile faded when she saw the look on my face. That look crushed me. It's not that I didn't want her to be happy, I did, but in our line of work, relationships are filled with lies and really there's only two outcomes. He finds out what we do and he runs for the hills, or he dies. I have yet to see a possible third outcome.

"I met him at the club last week, He came and sat with me when you and Rosalie were at the bar. He was so nice and we talked for a bit. He loves history!" I listened to her ramble on about him. "He said he works with paintings or something like that! We have so much in common"

"And you know that from having a 5minute conversation with him?" Her smile faulted again. Rose and I swear she can actually see the future.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt Al. What if one day you tell him what we do and he doesn't like it? You'll be crushed Alice"

"This one's different" She spoke with conviction. "I know it, he's different. Just trust me"

I nodded at her and gave her a hug. I couldn't be bothered to fight her on this and I know that if I even tried she wouldn't budge so there'd be no point.

She glanced at the watch on her wrist and squealed. "He should be here now, I have to go!"

"Have fun Alice" She jumped up and almost sprinted to the door. She stopped suddenly and turned to me. "He has cute friends"

"Don't Alice" She chuckled and blew me a kiss before shutting the door behind her.

* * *

"Honeys im home!" I heard Alice yell from the front door, followed by the sound of her footsteps coming towards the kitchen.

"Well she's not crying" I heard Rosalie whisper from her seat on the Kitchen bench.

"Shh" I hushed her as Alice came into the room. She looked as happy as she did when she left. Tonight obviously went well. I smiled at her when she entered and went back to stirring the Pasta sauce in the pan.

"I told him"

I dropped the spoon into the pan suddenly. The room was silent. I didn't know what to say. From the corner of my eye I could see Rosalie glaring at her, she was angry.

I counted down the seconds in my head before she exploded. 3…2…1

"WHAT the fuck Alice?! Our line of work goes smoothly because people don't know what we do and who we are!? You're not only jeopardizing your life, but Bella and I too" I jumped at the sound of glass hitting the wall behind me. Rose had thrown her Wine glass and it had smashed against the splash back behind me. "When he rats you out to the Feds that's fine, but don't bring us down with you because I don't look good in an orange jumpsuit okay?"

I took this moment of silence to look at Alice, she was still smiling. I think that made Rose even angrier. But before she could speak Alice cut her off.

"Do you guys remember that Diamond heist at that jewelry store in the Upper East Side?" Rose grumbled at her but let her continue. A Few months ago we heard on the news about a huge score at a Jewelry store in the city, Jimmy the owner, specialized in diamonds, his private collection was a sight to see, someone else obviously thought so too because in the early morning, the safe containing his prized jewels had been skillfully cracked and the rare diamonds inside were gone.

"What's your point Alice" Rosalie huffed and crossed her arms.

"Well I'd like you to meet the master mind behind the plan" She stepped aside in the doorway to let through a blond headed man. The same one from the bar! "Guys this is Jasper"

Jasper waved shyly, he obviously heard Roses rant.

"You're not getting your $200 back" I started. He chuckled deeply.

"That's no worries ma'am" He had a southern twang that wasn't evident at the bar last week, how did I miss that? Although I wasn't exactly paying attention to his voice but to his friend.

Alice giggled and linked her arm through his, "we were talking about maybe combining our forces, pulling off the biggest heist of our lives!"

I couldn't help but laugh at her theatrics. "Alice are you serious? I just got out of the biggest heist of my life"

I almost forgot about the glass that was shattered on the bench and the floor, maybe I should clean that up before someone steps on it. I had been enjoying the peace and quiet this week. 'Pulling off the biggest heist of my life' isn't exactly what I was picturing this week whilst relaxing.

"Please Bella? Jasper and I talked about it all, we have such a great idea and it will be fool proof" She pleaded with me, grasping onto Jaspers arm harder and bobbing up and down on her heals. She looked like a 12 year old girl begging for a puppy.

"I've heard you say those words before Alice, You're forgetting that you're the one that gets to stay here and relax while Rose and I are out there doing the heavy lifting. Im tired. Not now" I hated saying no to her, her crushed face broke my heart, but the one thing you learn whilst being friend with Alice is that if you want things to go your way, you have to be a little bit harsh. But in the end it usually ends up her way anyway.

She huffed and pulled Jasper out the door with her towards our planning area. "Fine but I still have a job for you Bella"

I rolled my eyes and rested my head against the cabinet door in front of me. Why couldn't I just relax for once?


	6. Chapter 6

It was a small walk from our apartment to my favorite coffee shop. I needed to get out, Alice has spent the last 3 days nagging my ear off to pull off 'Our biggest heist ever' with Jasper.

The Coffee shop sign hung above the door, it was in my sights. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a glass door opening and a man rush out. He obviously wasn't watching where he was going because he practically steam rolled me. My shoulder ached.

He scrambled to pick up a briefcase that fell in front of me. I recognized him instantly. "Shit im so sorry"

I held out my hand to help him up, once he had retrieved his belongings. "It's fine, no harm done"

His eyes flashed with recognition, he stood, not bothering to take my hand. "I remember you, from the club?"

I nodded as I dropped my hand. "Yeah that was me" Yeah, the one who took your friends money. He didn't react the way I expected him too, Instead of getting angry after his realization and demanding his friend's money back, he smiled. A friendly smile, followed by a hearty chuckle.

"You fooled us good." He looked towards the building and frowned, "Im sorry I can't stay longer and chat, I need to go" and without another word he was gone. Disappeared into the busy crowd.

A few moments later a police car pulled up beside me, 2 men stepped out and hurried into the building. It was obvious what had happened in there. Before I could be stopped and questioned I took off to my original destination.

The smell of coffee wafted up my nose as soon as I entered the Café. I smiled at jimmy when I walked in, he replied with a wave and pointed to a large mug and I nodded. This place was my regular, I didn't even need to place an order anymore, although I had been gone over 6 months.

I took a seat in the corner of the café, my back facing against the wall and in a position where I could see everyone who entered the shop. Pulling out my MacBook and placing it in front of me, I studied blue prints of a building a few blocks over. A building which held a baseball, It wasn't just any baseball. It was Mark McGwire's 70th Home Run Ball, a ball that sold for $3 Million.

We could be quite well off with $3 million dollars.

"Hey Bella! How are you? I haven't seen you in a while!" I looked up and saw Jimmy placing the mug on my table. Jimmy was young, probably 19/20, with messy brown hair and had glasses that sat upon his nose, shielding his bright blue eyes. He dropped out of high school his senior year because he wanted to start up his own coffee shop. I remember being here on the opening and that was a year and a half ago.

"Yeah im good, I had a business trip I needed to go on" He nodded in understanding and gave me a bright smile.

"That one's a welcome back gift, on the house Bella!" He said walking back to his spot behind the till. "Thanks Jimmy"

He was a sweet boy, his parents gave him his college fund to open this place, they supported his dream and it paid off, everybody loved this place and it was usually very busy during the day. The employees in the high rises next to this shop frequented this place.

I looked back at the blue prints and studied them carefully. From what I could see the ball wasn't safe guarded. It sat in the middle of a circular room under a glass case, which could simply be opened with a screwdriver. The lack of security holding the ball was understandable, there's no point in spending thousands of dollars on security for the ball if you couldn't even get to it. The floor was rigged with a pressure sensor, even a penny dropped on the floor would cause the whole place to get locked down and alarms galore.

But after a few glances over the blue prints I saw that the roof was surprisingly security free. A glass dome on the roof looked down over 10 floors, so there was my access point. I made a mental check list of everything I would need.

I took a moment to sip my coffee. Ugh it's even better then I remembered.

I don't know if I was to include Alice or Rose in this one. It's easily a one person job and it's not the first time I've done it by myself. I would strike at midnight.

I let out a giggle that sounded so stupid.

But midnight is when I'd go in, the security that guarded the room from the door would be swapping shifts at midnight. So while he goes into the staff area and collects his belongings I would go in. It took around 10 to 15 minutes for the next security guard to come out give or take a few minutes. That would be more than enough time to get in and out, not factoring in any problems which I doubt there would be.

Time to get ready then.

I gathered my things and placed a 50 under my empty mug, I know he said it was on the house but I couldn't help myself. I waved to him as I exited.

* * *

11:50

10 minutes until I go in.

I closed my book and placed it in my bag. It was a bit chilly up here, I regret not bringing a jacket. Getting on top of the building wasn't hard, there was a metal staircase in the alleyway behind the building.

Walking over to the glass dome, I could see the security guard in the door way, obviously off the pressure sensors.

Looking over the glass dome, I noticed that there wasn't a window, I really didn't feel like having to cut through it.

Almost as if on command, I heard the Air conditioner kick in and I could see a huge vent which I guessed would lead inside. I wasted no time getting the vent cover off and setting up my ropes and pulleys. I looked back down at my wrist, 12:00.

Show time.

I looked over from the vent down to the floor, I was clear. I lowered myself down, it was a lot further down then I had expected. I few more meters and I would be in line with the case. I made sure the slack on my rope didn't hit the floor when I came up next to it.

When I finally came in line with it, I couldn't help but stare at it for a moment, this little ball sold for $3 Million? A waste of money if you ask me.

I started to unscrew the bolts from the glass case, I only had one left, I looked at my watch again, I was making great time.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a rope drop next to me. What the fuck.

I looked up to see the guy from before scaling down next to me. He came down align with me and gave me a crooked smile. If I wasn't so angry I probably would have returned the smile.

"Hey" He greeted, putting some black gloves on.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I whispered, I could have screamed I was so angry.

"Stealing a baseball, what about you?" I was getting angrier by the second, im sure I had smoke coming out of my ears. "Oh Edward, by the way" He introduced holding out his hand.

"I don't care who you are, you're not getting my ball" He chuckled and ran his outstretched hand through his hair.

"Your ball? I think you owe me Bella" What the hell how did he know my name?

"Owe you? Mark McGwire's 70th Home Run Ball is worth a lot more then what I 'owe you'" I scoffed and turned away from him, undoing the last bolt and slowly taking the glass case off the ball and placing it on the pedestal.

A second later Edward snatched it from its stand. "Give it back!"

He chuckled and held it away from me when I tried to swipe for it, it was a bit hard since I was suspended from the ceiling. "Alright well split it 50-50"

I rolled my eyes at him "Yeah right, I was here first"

"Ok 60-40?" I tried to swipe at him again, which only made us both sway.

"Don't make me kick your ass" I hissed.

We wrestled in the air, swinging back and forth, he held the ball just out of my reach but when he moved his arm closer after I jabbed him in the rib I grabbed it. He went to retaliate and take it back but knocked it out of my hand.

The ball bounced on the floor and rolled out the door away from me. Seconds later the alarms echoed through the building. "Look what you did!"

I rolled my eyes yet again and quickly pulled myself up the rope. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him follow up behind me. "God I hate you already!" All attraction I had for him is now gone.

I heard his request as I pulled myself through the vent, I almost screamed. "Hey, I know this is a bad time, but can I get a ride home?"


	7. Chapter 7

"Shut up Cullen!" I hissed as I slammed the door to my apartment shut. Jasper, Alice and Rose sat in the lounge room. Edward followed in behind me.

"Look I said I was sorry!" He replied. Jasper looked amused.

"I see you two have met again" I rolled my eyes. Third meeting, and one I would have rather not have. "Yes Jasper, your brilliant friend here crashed a score. I could have been caught!"

"But you weren't! We got out of there!"

"Just in time, seconds later the room would have been filled with security!" I could hear them running up the hallway towards the room just as I pulled myself through the vent. We could have been done for.

During my rant, Rose, Jasper and Alice scattered into their rooms.

"You absolutely screwed me!" I stepped closer to him, so close I could smell him. I swear inches further and our noses would have touched.

And he did the most unexpected thing. He laughed! He fucking laughed.

"You know you're cute when you're angry. Your cheeks flush rose and you get this crinkle in your forehead" No way. No way in hell is this man dazzling me into forgiving him. God he is beautiful though. Swoon.

I stepped back, his cologne clouding my senses.

"Don't try to dazzle me to get out of this Cullen!" I huffed and flipped my hair dramatically before storming into the kitchen. I could hear his heavy footsteps following behind me. I needed a drink.

"Im sorry what?" He said stopping in the middle of the U-shaped kitchen. I rolled my eyes at him and reached down into our wine fridge to grab a bottle of Bordeaux and a glass from the shelf above. I didn't bother to grab him a glass. "Dazzled? What the hell is that?"

I poured the wine to the brim and took a swig. "You know exactly what it is Cullen"

He sighed and leaned against the counter, "Look Bella, in all honesty im sorry. I didn't know you were going to be there. It was an honest mistake"

I could tell he was being sincere. I could hear it in the tone of his voice and by the look on his face. I couldn't help but give him a small smile, "im not going to say its fine because it wasn't, you cost me a lot of money tonight"

"I could say the same for you" He grinned at me. I took another sip of my wine and placed it down on the counter. We stayed silent for a few minutes. But it didn't feel like an awkward silence.

I kept my eyes to the ground and only lifted them when I saw movement in front of me. Edward walked over to the shelf in front of me and retrieved his own wine glass. He held out the glass in front of him in a silent questioned. I filled his glass and topped my own.

After taking a sip he hummed in appreciation. "Château Petrus, Good choice"

"You like your wine?" I asked, walking out of the kitchen and into the living room, taking a seat on the couch. A moment later he followed after me, the glass and the bottle in his hand.

He took a seat next to me and leant back onto one of the arms. "I love my wine. It stimulates the brain" I raised an eyebrow at him whilst he continued. "It elevates your senses and uh… enhances your ... Performance" He gave me a wink. I couldn't help but chuckle at his sexual innuendo. He held his glass up and inspected the liquid inside, "It is the solution to everything"

"I can't help but agree with you" I said, admiring my own glass. "How long have you been in the biz?"

He raised an eyebrow at me, "The biz?" He drained the last of his wine before continuing. "From before I can remember, I was always a little rascal."

"A Young con man?" I could see it now, a tiny Edward cheating out school kids for their lunch money.

"Exactly, the simple stuff, scamming kids in the cafeteria, I think I made about a few grand in lunch money before I hit middle school and started the cons" He poured himself another glass and topped mine off, "I got into fine art when I was in my late teens because of my father, he had wealthy friends in Italy who sent him pieces from a few galleries over there."

I nodded as he spoke, "What do your parents do?"

"My Mom in an interior designer, a quite successful one, my father is a Neurologist in Seattle" He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, he pulled out a photo from one of the slips and hands it to me. It featured a younger Edward in the middle of two attractive parents, His mother had dark caramel hair and fair skin, she was stunning; her husband was an older more handsome Edward, he was blond and he was more handsome than any movie star I'd ever seen. He had tired but gentle eyes, evidence of long hard shifts at the hospital.

"My father is a brilliant doctor, he could work at any hospital in the world but chose Seattle." His father seemed like an amazing man, I was about to ask for their names when Edwards answered my unspoken question "Carlisle and Esme"

"They seem wonderful" He nodded in agreement. "What about you? Where are your parents?"

I chuckled, "Not far from Seattle actually, well my Dad anyway, He lives in Forks, he was the chief of police there, my mom's quite the free spirt, she's with my stepdad in Arizona"

"You like him?"

"Phil? I guess so, my mom likes him and she's happy, so that's all that really matters I guess"

He gave me a small smile and lifted his glass to toast, "To love"

I raised my own glass and thought for a moment before making my own toast, "Hmm… To New associates?"

He gave a hearty chuckle and at that we clinked our glasses.

 **Sorry for the short chapter guys! Was having such a mental block with this chapter! Hope you all enjoy and remember to review!**


	8. Chapter 8

It had been about a week since my run in with Edward at the museum. But I had been seeing him everywhere. My apartment being his most frequented spot, due to Jasper making daily appearances to visit Alice.

I had grabbed my keys and was about to head out when I heard Edward behind me "Hey, where are you off too?"

I should invite him. Should I? Before my brain could make the decision I had blurted out my plans and invited him anyway, "Coffee, Want to grab some with me?"

I internally kicked myself.

He gave me a warm smile and nodded before grabbing his Khaki jacket and his Sunglasses. God he looked good.

"Hey what College did you go too?" He asked when we exited the loft, I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at him. "University of Washington? Why do you ask?"

He shook his head and smiled, "I thought I recognized you from somewhere at the club, I've been trying to pick it this entire time, You were in the Top 10 graduates, Number 2 if I recall?"

"How do you know that?" His eyes widened for a split second and he gave me a smirk.

"I use to go there obviously" He let out a nervous chuckle. I couldn't be bothered to ask why he was lying so I let it go. He wasn't being as sly as he thought he was.

"Do you miss Seattle?" He nodded.

"Yeah I guess so, it was home, almost another world away from here. What about you, do you Miss Forks?"

Why would I? As soon as my high school diploma was in my hand I was out of there. Would I like to go back and see my dad? Yeah I would. My dad wanted me to stay, work at the local hardware store, Newton's. I went to Forks high, home of the Spartans. Que eye roll here. Forks, Washington, A town without the middle class. You'd be surprised at the wealthy business men who lived there. On the other side of town. On my side, were small business owners and workers, the people who kept the town running. The wealthy kids at school wouldn't let you forget who their parents were even if you tried. As you can imagine, I couldn't wait to leave.

It's a Springsteen song, get out while you're young.

I got out at 18.

Let's just answer him with something simple Bella. I could see him out of the corner of my eye. Patiently waiting for my answer. "Yeah of course I miss it"

I guess he sensed my discomfort from the topic and quickly switched it. "Alice won't let up on the group heist"

I couldn't help but laugh. Alice had been bugging us for weeks to do this together. A group project she likes to call it.

"I don't know if im ready for a big one yet" I could see the coffee house up ahead. Thank god. I was starting to get caffeine withdrawals.

"Have you at least talked to her about it? She seems really eager to do it. Says she has something big planned"

I rolled my eyes at him and pushed open the coffee house door, it wasn't busy this morning thank god so we didn't have trouble finding a table. "She always says that Edward"

Walking up to the counter I ordered a simple latte and a chocolate chip muffin, I waited to the side for Edward to finish his order before walking over to a table by the window.

"Hey can I ask you a question?" I asked.

"Yeah of course" He leaned forward on his elbows and waited for me to continue. I stared into his eyes for a moment. I had to blink and remind myself that staring at someone for long periods of time is weird.

"That day that you bumped into me in the street, what were you doing in that building" He looked confused, I was about explain the day I meant when he threw his head back suddenly and let out a laugh.

"It was an art gallery" I nodded slowly at his answer, not fully understanding.

"Is that all I get, 'It was an art gallery' and correct me if im wrong but it still is an art gallery" He rolled his eyes.

"Fine, miss nosey. It _is_ an art gallery that I was trying to steal a small sculpture from. The one I was looking for is kept in a small vault, probably the size of a small walk in wardrobe, I accidently clipped the wrong wire and some of the hinges in the door unlocked. But with my knowledge of the vault I knew that it lets off a silent alarm about 5 minutes after the fault is made. It's a trick the manufacturers put in to make whoever was breaking into it think they picked the right wire. I ran as soon as I clipped the wrong one"

It was all making sense now, "So that's why you stood outside with me for a bit before running"

He smirked, "Exactly"

"Not as good as you think you are Cullen" I returned his smirk and took a sip from my latte that had just been delivered to our table.

"Hey, I got distracted alright, I had a lot of stuff on my mind" His cheeks turned a light pink. "But I think we should hear Alice out, maybe hear what her plan is a decide from there if we want to proceed"

I sat silent for a moment, he did have a point and the least we could do is hear her out, especially if she had been working on this plan with Jasper for a while. I nodded and finished up the last of my latte, I was ready to get out here.

"You ready?" I asked Edward, standing up from my seat. But he wasn't looking at me when I stood he was looking outside, his eyes widened, almost panicked and then in an instant he looked normal again and motioned his head towards the back of the café where the bathroom was.

He looked nervous again. "I'll be right back, just going to the bathroom"

"Alright I'll wait out the front then" He quickly made his way to the back of the restaurant. He was acting jittery all of a sudden and I knew it wasn't because of the caffeine.

The bell above the café door rang when I left, I made sure to keep to the wall of the outside of the café so I didn't get swamped by the sea of pedestrians along the side walk. The sounds of the construction workers across the street cut through the noise from the chatter of the pedestrians. I could feel holes getting burnt into the side of my head. I looked up and made eye contact with one of the construction workers. He was watching me.

I scanned the area. Now that I took notice, a lot of people were watching me. Although they tried to make it look like they weren't. I need to get out of here.

I hurried along the sidewalk, bumping in to people as a passed. I didn't have time to stop and apologize.

About a hundred meters away was an alleyway that would be a good cover for me to get into and made a shortcut back to the loft. I looked up ahead, a delivery man was looking at me from a few shops up, I saw him press onto his ear and his lips move. Oh god, I've been made.

I pushed past more people, only a few more meters Bella, We'll loose them in the crowd before I get to the alleyway. Finally I made it to the alleyway, but I didn't get far down it before my path was blocked by 5 huge men. Before I could back out a run into the street, the delivery man and the construction worker from before blocked my only exit.

"Ms. Swan?" One of the large men asked me. "Would you like to come with us?"

I scoffed, "You're giving me a choice?"

The man in the middle held up a badge and his mouth turned up into a grin. Oh fuck. FBI.

""If I'm under arrest, then do me the courtesy of making it all official-like" I hissed at him. I felt one of the men behind me grab my arms and place the cold metal handcuffs on my wrists.

"Ms. Swan Your under arrest for bond forging, theft, money laundering and fraud. You have the right to remain silent, anything yo-"

"'Say can and will be used against you', Yes I know I've heard it all before" I rolled my eyes before I was spun around to be face to face with Agent Jones. "Ah jones, good to see you again."

Agent Jones was a tall, dark skinned man, young too. One of the FBI's most resourceful and dedicated agents.

"Bella, long time no see, it's been a while" He gave me a grin.

"Yeah I know, sorry I haven't called. I've been busy." He let out a chuckle and grabbed a hold of my upper arm and pulled me out of the alley towards a patrol car. "You were wearing that suit last time you arrested me."

He opened the patrol car door for me and motioned for me to get in, "What can I say? It's my lucky suit"


	9. Chapter 9

I had been in this interrogation room for hours now. A young agent had handcuffed me to the chair, a single handcuff on the arm of the metal chair. Rookie error.

The room was bland, although that was to be expected of an interrogation room. I stared at the glass window in front of me. It acted as a mirror for me but i know that the person on the other side could see in here clearly. I could feel their presence on the other side of the glass, i knew they were watching me.

My head shot to the door when i heard a key enter the lock and the door swung open. Agent Jones.

"Hey Bella, sorry to keep you waiting so long" He smirked at me before taking a seat across from me.

"No worries, i love it in here" I replied back sarcastically.

He chuckled and slid a manila folder across the table to me. When i opened it i was met with a photo of myself, the photo was taken from across the street, it was obvious i had no idea it was being taken. A paper clip held the photo and the papers behind it in place.

"We've been trying to get to you a long time Bella" I nodded thoughtfully. "But we could never find the people you work with"

"And i told you the last time you brought me in here that i work alone" He chuckled and motioned to someone behind the glass. Moments later an agent walked through the door with another Manila folder and cup of coffee.

"Well i thought you might say that, but look, ill make you a deal" i couldn't help but roll my eyes.

He waved his hand over the cup of coffee and picked up the folder the agent had handed him.

"I give you this delicious cup of coffee if you," He chucked the open folder at me ,"Make this go away"

I was surprised, more then surprised at what was in front of me. Edward. There was no way i was going to rat him out to the Feds.

"For one i don't know who this person is and two, that is the shittest deal I've heard in my entire life"

"Its a crime to lie to a law officer Bella" He slid the cup over to me and gave me a smile.

"Well you can add it to list of other crimes I've supposedly committed"

"Alright, ill sweeten the pot, since you asked so nicely" I stared at the photo of Edward, his hair was shorter in this picture, and dyed black. "What your looking at right now is around 10 years in maximum security for the crimes you've committed,"

I interrupted,"Supposedly. you have no evidence i committed any of these crimes,"

"Lets just say a source has come forward and has some very good leads about the case" A source? He's got to be joking, there are only a very small group of people who are aware of what i do and i cover my tracks. "What i can do, is reduce your sentence by half of that and put you in a correctional facility, which will allow for early parole on good behaviour. Although Judge Hartman does have a soft spot for you Bella, he thinks we should wipe your record clean for doing this"

"And what exactly do you want me to do"

"Edward Masen is very slippery, we were close to catching him in Chicago but he evaded us quickly. His list of felonies almost doubles yours" I knew Edward was a thief, he wasn't telling me anything i didn't already know. "Edward has killed people Bella"

Now that was something I didn't know, but Edward wasn't a murderer, he wouldn't hurt a fly.

"We need you to draw him in, then set him up so we can catch him in the act, he'll never have to know you did a thing"

I didn't know how to respond, i wasn't a snitch. Agent Jones lifted up the picture of Edward and spread out the photos beneath. I felt bile rise in my throat.

The pictures of a man lying face up in what looks to be a living room. His face, oh god his face. This man died violently, his suit covered in his own blood. The bones in his face now non existent due to obviously being bashed in with a heavy object. One photo showed a sledge hammer on the floor only meters away.

I had to look away before i threw up. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly and i felt a single tear trail down my cheek.

I couldn't say anything, I was afraid if i opened my mouth i may vomit. "That was Edward Masen Sr. The evidence collected at the crime scene all points in one direction, Edward. We believe he had motive to murder his father"

All i could do was nod, I had nothing to say to him.

"We need your help Bella" I heard his chair scape and the door open then shut.

I opened one eye and scanned my surroundings before opening the other, the case files were gone and the coffee cup was gone too. I needed to get out of here. I slipped my fingers into the sleeve of my jacket and retrieved the paperclip i had gotten from the case file. He did even notice me take it.

I bent the paper clip until i got the shape i wanted and proceeded to release myself from the cuffs. I don't remember hearing the lock click on the door, i was praying it was unlocked.

I pushed down the handle and felt the door release. i couldn't help but let out a chuckle, you'd think they would have locked it. Peeking out the door i was met with an empty hallway, no officers guarding the door or roaming the halls. I was completely alone. Now i had to hurry.

I jogged down the hallway and to a flight of stairs, instead of taking the obvious route up, i descended the staircase, skipping several steps on the way down. We were underground and i knew if i went upstairs i would be surrounded by police officers.

I knew there had to be an exit down here. It would be a fire hazard for there not to be. I found exactly what i was looking for at the end of the corridor. The little green sign with the highlighted words 'exit'.

I sprinted towards the exit, my freedom was so close.

What happened next almost went in slow motion. I was just meters away from the exit when a young police officer exited one of the rooms. Before i could react i slammed right into him.

It took him only moments to realise just who i was. I covered his mouth with my hand and dug my knee into his groin, his forehead crinkled in reaction to the pain. "You never saw me down here do you understand?"

He struggled and i put more pressure down on my knee until he stopped, "Do you understand?" He nodded slowly and i let him up. "You didn't see me down here" i whispered and took off towards the door. When i exited the door, i ran up the flight of stairs that led me to an alleyway out the back of the building. At the end of the alley i spotted a subway stop, i needed to get down there if i wanted to get out of here and not be caught.

Moments later a siren blared from inside the building. Alright time to run now Bella.

Sorry for such a short chapter guys! please review and tell me what you think xoxo


	10. Chapter 10

I didn't know what to do.

I could return to the loft, but if i was being followed i didn't want to risk leading them back to Alice and Rose.

The warehouse, id be safe there.

The train slowed at my final stop, Vinegar Hill. The warehouse was only a few blocks from the station, it would only take me 5 minutes to get there. But i had to hurry, the feds probably started tracking me the moment i left the building.

The sidewalk was busy when i made my way up to the street. Commuters going home from work.

I picked up my pace, weaving through pedestrians and crossing into a street to avoid the traffic. I caught my breath on the side walk for a moment.

I could hear a ringing sound, i looked up to investigate. The sound was coming from a pay phone on the side of the street only meters away from me. When i got closer the ringing stopped, only to pick back up again seconds later.

I looked around, no one was on this street except a couple of kids a few houses up, playing on their bikes. I hesitated. Curiosity was getting the better of me.

i picked up the phone and held it to my ear, "Hello?"

"Bella"

I sighed, "Agent Jones"

"We know where you are Bella" I studied my surroundings, there was no one around me. They couldn't have followed me, I jumped on the subway and doubled back twice just in case. I stared at the shop across the road. Of course, how could i have missed that.

The shop camera was pointed right at me. A bus stopped a few meters up the street and i thought about running to it and jumping on. "Don't even think about it, We'll find you if you try"

"You couldn't before, what makes you think you can if i put some effort in"

He chuckled, the reviver crackling in my ear. "All were asking for is your help"

I stared directly into the camera, i knew he could see me.

"Help us bring Edward Cullen in and we'll make it worth your while"

Your not a snitch Bella, "No"

"Your one of the good guys Bell, don't pretend that your not" He was right in a way, i didn't want a murderer to be out roaming free, but somewhere in me, i knew Edward wouldn't do something like that.

"I said no Jones, Im not exactly the poster child for doing the right thing so I'm not going to start now"

"I know about your Dad Bella."

I felt my breath get caught in my throat. I couldn't breathe, my head felt like it was swelling.

"We can help him, if you help us"

I thought about it, mulling it over in my head. If they can help my dad maybe i could become normal again. But then something clicked.

Mine and Edwards conversation the first night he was in our apartment.

"Your a liar, Edwards Father is alive"

"Edward was adopted by Esme and Carlisle Cullen when his parents gave him away as a boy, don't be so naive Bell, He's a con man remember?"

I could hardly grasp the information he was giving me, "Help us Bella"

I took a deep breathe before answering him, this is for you Charlie, "What do i need to do?"

I tried mulling this new information in my head over and over again. I didn't know what to think. Edward wouldn't kill anyone. Edward wasn't like that.

 _But how would you know what Edward was like._

The logical part of my brain was right, i really had no idea. On the outside, Edward looked like a kind man, but i really had no idea about what lurked under the surface.

My assignment was simple, get close to Edward and bring him down. My condition was that my record be wiped clean and i was free to continue my life, if my needs weren't met the deal was off and id disappear as quick as they could even register it. It was a specialty of mine. Disappearing.

My mind flickered back to this morning in the coffee shop. It seemed Edward had a specialty of disappearing too. He seemed so uneasy before he went to the bathroom and now i understood why; he saw an agent and he fled, he knew and he left me there to fend for myself. To get caught.

My blood boiled, i could have screamed.

I stared at the front door of our loft and contemplated whether or not i wanted to enter. I probably should, Alice and Rose are probably worried sick.

I slid my key into the door and twisted the knob, everyone was sitting in the living room when i entered, surprisingly Edward, Jasper and Emmett were there too.

"Bella!" Alice and Rose yelled before jumping up from their positions on the couch and bombarding me with hugs. "We were worried sick about you" Alice mumbled into my shoulder. I locked eyes with Edward from over her head. He looked like a dear caught in headlights. That bastard.

"How did you escape from the Feds Bell?" Rose asked while pulling me towards the couch and giving me a light push to sit down. She and Alice sat beside me.

"They didn't have enough evidence on me, so they had to let me go" As i said this my eyes never left Edwards.

"Well we're glad your back safe and sound Bella" Jasper spoke up from his position behind the couch. I nodded in appreciation and gave him a light smile.

I wondered if he was in on it too. If he had anything to do with Edward Sr' death. I honestly didn't know what to think anymore. Who to trust.

I stared at Edward for what seemed like to be hours, he couldn't even look at me. "Well ill start a feast! In celebration of Bella's safe return!" Alice clapped her hands together and shoed everyone except for Edward out of the room and into the kitchen. And then there was two.

"So..." I sat down in front of him on the coffee table. "Would you care to explain to me where you disappeared off too this afternoon when i was being chased by Feds outside"

His gaze left mine and he stared down at the wine glass he held in his hand. "Bella you know how this business works"

"No I'm sorry i don't think i do, care to enlighten me Edward?" My voice was getting louder, i swear i could feel the steam coming out of my ears.

He let out a shallow breath and continued,"Were both playing the same game, Ive stolen a lot of things in my life time Bella, forged a lot of documents that would get me into the closest super max, theres no club fed for me.

I saw the Feds outside of the street, i thought they were there for me so i ran. I didn't then they would have brought you in. Im so sorry Bella" He sounded sincere, but one of the first things you learn in this business is how to act. Agent Jones's words were floating around in my head.

 _Get close to him. Take him down._

 _"I_ forgive you Edward, I understand" His head shot up in surprise. He obviously didn't think i would let him go that easy. I know how to act too Edward.

I held out my hand and stood up. He stared at it for a moment before linking his fingers with my own and standing, "Lets go enjoy this feast Alice is throwing and put this all in the past"

He nodded and gave me a grin.

I'll show you just how well i can act Edward.


	11. Chapter 11

Bella POV

It'd been a week since the incident at the coffee shop. Agent Jones kept tabs on me, calling me everyday to ask how i was going.

The truth was; nothing was going at all. I had no idea how to 'get close to Edward', he wasn't even my problem, i should have never have agreed. But every time i think about running away and forgetting everything about Edward and the feds, the pictures of Edwards father fill my brain, the blood.

I rolled my eyes and groaned. Leaning back on my bed and letting my open book falling on my face. Mr Darcy couldn't even keep those nightmares away.

I heard a knock on my door, "Bella?" Alice stuck her head in and smiled. "Were going to head off for the double date now? Will you be alright here?"

Emmett and Rosalie had taken quite a liking to each other also. They decided to go on a double date, I was invited by Alice who felt bad but i really didn't feel like being the 5th wheel.

"Alice I'm not 12, I'll be fine here, don't worry about me, just go have fun?" She gave me a light smile and a wave before closing my bedroom door.

Moments later my stomach rumbled. Yeah food. I could go for some of that. I flung myself off my bed and out my bedroom door. I couldn't remember the last time we went grocery shopping so i hoped we at least had some Ramen noodles or maybe some left overs.

Please let there be food, please let there be food.

I swung the refrigerator door open and peered inside. Hmm some wine, one egg, some milk. I picked up the bottle and held it up to my nose. Oh gross! Some spoiled milk.

I groaned as i tipped the chunky liquid down the drain. That smell was revolting.

Okay so my options were very limited and i really didn't feel like an egg for dinner. I stared at the fridge for a moment when a leaflet caught my eye.

Dan and Chan Asian cuisine.

Noodles sounded delicious right now. I pulled my iPhone out of my back pocket and scrolled through my contacts. One name caught my eye.

 _Get close and bring him down._

Oh Bella this is a bad idea. The gruesome pictures flashed through my mind once again. Lets bring this bitch down.

I tapped his name and listened to the phone ring.

Come on Bella you can do this. Lets get our flirt on. How hard could it be? If you can flirt with Billionaires to get their cash you can do this. But those billionaires weren't also murderers. Okay nope not doing this, abort mission.

" _Hello?_ " Oh shit.

"Hi, um Edward, its Bella" We can't back out of this now.

" _Bella! This is a surprise, what can i do for you tonight?_ "

Lets get this over with Bella, "Well I'm sure your aware of Rose, Alice, Jasper and Emmett's double date" I heard him chuckle on the other end.

" _Yeah i did, they've left me here at our apartment to fend for myself_ "

"Seems like we've got that in common, Alice and Rose did the same to me. Did you have any plans for tonight?"

" _No I don't actually, i was just about to watch a movie at home_ " Come on Bella get your flirt on.

"Well how about you bring the movie you were about to watch to mine and we can watch it together with some dinner. Some Chinese on me? I'd really love some company right now" My voice lowered to a seductive husk in the last sentence.

I heard his next intake of breath followed by a cough, " _Um yeah, yes that uh, sounds great. I'll be over soon, but you can't judge me for my movie choice alright_?"

I giggled, "I would never, well order when you get here"

" _I'll see you soon_ " and with that the call disconnected. 'Don't judge me for my movie choice?' that suddenly got me wondering what he was going to bring, a porno? No, probably something more embarrassing for him to be watching, maybe the notebook? A really bad chick flick? But then again thats not really embarrassing. I bet its a porno, it has to be. Like one of the ones that you can get from the video store, with the story lines.

I don't think id know what to do if he showed up with that. Maybe I'm just being stupid, there are more embarrassing movies in the world. Enough movie thoughts its time to get to work.

I knew Edward wouldn't admit to me anything about his father tonight so i didn't have to use the wire Agent Jones had gifted me in a fake book by an undercover Fed dressed as a Fed Ex worker in the coffee shop. There i was enjoying my coffee when the Fed taps me on the shoulder and hands me the package, getting me to sign for it and everything. Inside the package was a book with a hole cut out in the middle of the pages like some Nancy Drew bullshit.

Okay, back to the task at hand. We'll need some wine, the good stuff. Maybe after the movie ill crack out the tequila. Would some candles be too cheesy? To weird? I vote yes. Maybe a nice fleece blanket and some comfy pillows on the love seat for more comfort. My eyes flicked to the thermostat, maybe something to get us extra close? I turned the thermostat down and felt the cool breeze of the ducted air conditioning fill the room. Perfect.

I heard a quiet knock on the door. Show time Bella!

I almost sprinted to the door but quickly halted behind it. I took a deep breath and straightened out my blouse. You can do this.

I swung open the door with a bright smile, "Edward!"

He gave me a grin and i noticed a bottle of merlot in his hand, "Hey! I thought i might bring something to drink with dinner" He greeted, handing me the bottle.

"Its perfect, Come in" I gestured him in and pointed to the menu on the coffee table, "Pick what you want for dinner while i get the glasses"

He gave me a nod and took off his shoes at the door, while i scurried to the kitchen. I picked the glasses off the top shelf and corked open the bottle. I could just get some rat pellets under the sink and end it now, flee the country, somewhere the Feds wouldn't find me. I sighed to myself, your not a killer Bella.

I picked up the glasses in one hand and the bottle in the other, taking them out to Edward. There he was sitting on the couch, staring at the menu. He looked up as i walked in and gave me a breath taking grin.

Looking at this man, i didn't think he could kill his own father, he couldn't be capable of what i saw in those photos. His bright emerald eyes stared at me as i walked towards him. He couldn't be capable of something so horrible. Not Edward.

"Ive decided what id like, have you looked over the menu?" He asked as i sat next to him.

I gave him a nod, "I get the same thing every time, their chow mien with crispy noodles is to die for"

He chuckled and got out his phone, ready to order, "It must be pretty good, you'll have to let me try some of yours"

I poured us both a glass of wine and sat back, pulling my legs up and tucking them beneath me. I couldn't help but be mesmerised in his face as he spoke on the phone. He had the kind of face that stopped you in your tracks, I'm sure he was use to that but, girls swooning over him.

His prominent jawline could have sliced butter and when he moved his head you could see his strength with the twining cords of muscle that shaped all over his entire body. A broad and firm chest, bulging arms and strong legs. You could tell this man was not shy of the gym.

As i admired him, he turned his head and smiled at me, his gleaming white teeth peaking at me through the grin. I couldn't hear a word he was saying, it all sounded like background noise, the hum of a voice could be heard but i was not focusing on that. At the moment, this man sitting in front of me wasn't a killer, he was just Edward.

My surroundings suddenly came back into focus as Edward ended the phone call, "All done, they said they should be here in about 10 minutes"

"Good, there always quick with delivery" I took a sip of my wine, "So whats this movie i can't be judging you about?"

He let out laugh and picked up his own glass from the coffee table and curling his feet underneath him just as i did earlier, "Okay well Id see previews for it and id seen all the hype it had been getting and i was curious to what all the fuss was about, I couldn't watch it when Emmett or Jasper were in the apartment because that would just lead to unrelenting torture of them teasing me for the rest of my life"

Oh god, it was porn.

He took a deep breath and removed the small DVD case out of his jacket pocket. I covered my mouth with my hand and stifled a laugh. Oh i was right.

"Oh Edward. Fifty shades of grey? You can ask me not to judge you for that" I laughed until my stomach hurt and there were tears pooling in my eyes.

Edward laughed too and gave me a playful glare, "I told you my reasons, why are you even laughing so much, its not even that bad!"

"Okay, so when you told me on the phone not to judge you for your movie choice i was so sure you were going to bring over a porno and i was so right!" He choked on his wine.

"Porn?" His eyes were wide open, "Nobody told me this was porn?!"

I went into another round of laughter, "Its not really a porno, theres a few raunchy sex scenes in it"

"Oh you've got to be kidding me, I didn't see that in the previews?" I patted his hand and heard a soft knock at the door. Record timing!

I jumped up from my spot on the couch and grabbed my purse. When i flung open the door, Matt stood on the other side, my regular delivery boy. He gave me a small smile and extended the bag of food out to me.

"Hey Bella, you eating for two tonight?" I rolled my eyes at his attempt at a joke.

"Ha Ha, I actually have a gentlemen caller this evening" I whispered back sarcastically which he replied with a chuckle.

"And how much did you pay him?" I gave him a playful kick and handed him a 50.

"Keep the change, use it for your lunch money tomorrow" I gave him a wink and kicked the door shut behind me.

"Dinner is served!" I announced to Edward who had gone into the kitchen and gotten plates while i was at the door.

"Are you ready to meet Christian Grey Edward?" I asked with a wink. He rolled his eyes and patted the spot next to him.

He groaned and poured himself another glass of wine, "Im going to hate this"

* * *

 **I hope you guys are enjoying this so far, some feedback would be great! Review please! xxxx**


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry this one has taken me so long, i was having a bit of writers block. I hope people are still reading! Be sure to review xxx**

* * *

"I don't understand, why does he want her to sign a contract so he can fuck her" I choked on my laughter for the 100th time that night. The entire movie Edward would ask me questions.

"Edward just watch the movie you'll understand if you watch!" I flicked a crispy noodle at him and gave him a playful grin.

He kept his eyes on the screen at every sex scene. I could have laughed. He was such a boy.

I mostly kept my eyes on him. Watching his eyes widen in some sex scenes, watching his throat move and constrict with every sip of his wine.

It had now come to the part of the movie where Christian ties Ana to her bed and teases her with the ice cube. A fairly erotic scene which Edward seemed to be enjoying thoroughly. I giggle as i take a sip from my wine and finish up the last of my noodles. His eyes widened as he flipped her over and took her from behind.

He turns to me with his mouth wide open. I couldn't help the laugh that escaped from my mouth. "Bella i don't think i want to watch this movie anymore"

My laughter continued and grew louder as he grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. "What should we do now?" He asked.

"A game perhaps?" He rolled his eyes.

"A game with two cons, that sounds like a great idea" I chuckled and quickly snatched an egg roll from his place with my chop sticks, giving him a small smirk and a playful kick.

"Maybe some music then?" He smiled and made his way over to our stereo and shelving unit which housed our endless amount of CDs and Dock. He ran his finger over the spine of some of the cases and smiled to himself. Holding up the AUX cord in a silent question, i only nodded in reply. Moments later the soft melody of Claire De Lune filled the room.

I gave him a soft smile, "I love this song"

He turned and pointed to one of the CD's on the shelf, "I thought you might, is the CD yours?"

I nodded, "It was my mothers back when i was younger, she use to play it to me everyday, when i moved away i took it with me" I laughed to myself at the memory of a 15 year old me shoving the CD deep into my bag so she wouldn't find it until i was at my dads. She called me when the plane landed and asked me where it was. She was only cranky that she couldn't have bought me a brand new one. But i told her i wanted this one.

The papers inside were crinkled and worn now from years of use.

He held his hand out to me and gave me a brilliant smile, i was wary when i placed my hand in his. He pulled me up from my spot on the couch and into his arms, swaying me along with the music.

I felt him rest his chin on the top of my head and sigh. I couldn't help but rest my cheek on his chest. Id never felt more relaxed then i did right now. This was something id always wanted, even as a little girl. I wanted the fairy tale. The incredible love. An all consuming love.

He swayed me gently and spun me around in a circle before bringing me back to him. The music slowed to an end and he gave me a bow as he stepped back. I couldn't help but giggle.

"I think we should break out the tequila" I whispered.

He nodded and followed me to the kitchen. He went to grab out glasses from the cabinet but i quickly shook my head and pulled him down to the floor with me to lean against the lower cupboards.

We took turns swigging the hot liquid from the bottle, I could feel its burning path from my mouth and down to my throat. My courage was rising quickly.

"I thought you were so sexy at the club" I slurred, grabbing the bottle for my turn. He turned his head to look at me, his eyes bored into mine.

"You looked amazing that night" I would have blushed if i had been sober. "You look amazing right now" He muttered, raising up his hand to brush a stray piece of my hair off my face. His touch set me alight. I could feel the electricity sizzling between us.

"Your so beautiful Bella"

I felt my heart clench. Hearing those words come out of his mouth made me tingle all over. This fluttering feeling i got in my stomach was obviously butterflies but i wasn't to sure, it could have been the tequila for all i know.

We sat there in silence just staring at each other for what felt like hours, just looking into each others eyes. It was like he was staring into my soul and suddenly i felt like he knew all my secrets, my real reasons for having him over tonight. But i knew he would never be able to actually see into my soul.

His finger tips trailed up my arm, sending shivers all over my body, his trail stopped at my collarbone and his hand rested there.

I could feel us both leaning in, closer and closer to the point where i could feel his breath fan over my face. We were so close now. His nose bumped my own and his lips were about to come into contact with mine.

Yes Edward, Kiss me.

"Bella?!" I heard the front door slam and Edward and I jumped away from each other. "Bella were home! Where are you?"

I leant back on the cupboard to catch my breath. My heart was doing jumping jacks in my chest.

"Bella, what the- Oh!" Alice came into view in the kitchen door and her eyes widened "Edward i didn't know you were here, Its good to see you!"

He nodded and gave her a little wave. "You guys left me here all alone so i wanted someone to keep me company so i didn't go crazy" I said pulling myself up from the ground.

Jasper and Emmett appeared behind her a moment later, Emmett spoke up first, "Edward what are you doing here?" He held a small smirk on his face.

"Bella invited me, we had some Chinese" He shrugged and took another swig of tequila before handing it to me so i could put it away.

"Well Me and Jasper are heading home now, so we'll take you with us" Emmett left the room with Jasper and Alice in tow; and we were alone again. Edward turned to me with a little grin.

"I had fun tonight" He shuffled his feet back and forth like he was nervous, "Would it maybe be alright if i called you tomorrow?"

He was nervous! Could he get any cuter? I nodded enthusiastically, his stress seemed to ease then. He let out a large sigh and stepped closer to me, running his hand up my hip and around to my lower back before pulling me to him.

I thought he was going to continue what we were so rudely interrupted before but instead he have me a soft kiss on the forehead and then my cheek, before whispering, "Ill see you tomorrow love"

And then he was gone.


	13. Chapter 13

I could hear ringing. God damnit where was it coming from.

I groaned and rolled over onto my stomach. My flailed my arm around on my bed until i found the source of the buzzing. I didn't even look at the called ID before holding it up to my ear, i know if i were to open my eyes to look i would have been blinded by the brightness.

"What" I huffed into the phone.

" _Hello? Bella were you asleep?_ " And now suddenly i was awake.

"Edward! Hey! No i was wide awake, I've been up since..." I looked over at the clock, It was 7. What the fuck who wakes up at this time. I continued, "6, I'm an early riser"

I could hear his muffled laugh on the other end, _"Bella thats the biggest lie I've ever heard. Im sorry i woke you up"_

Ah shit id been caught, "Okay your right i was asleep. But so what? Who the hell wakes up before 10 anyway?"

" _A lot of people actually, myself included"_ I could hear traffic and people talking on his end, he was obviously out already, " _My reason for being up so early is you actually. I was hoping you might come grab some coffee with me and maybe take a walk in central park. Its a beautiful day toda_ y"

"You won't leave me in there to get trapped by the feds again will you?" I rolled my eyes and jumped up from my bed.

" _Of course not, we can even grab a coffee from one of the vendors in the park, so i have no where to hide_ " I flung my curtains open and squinted at the bright light. I mulled it over in my head, it is a beautiful day today. I stared at central park fro my window and smiled to myself, i guess a walk wouldn't be so bad.

"Fine, you've convinced me. I'll be about 10 minutes, where do you want to meet?" I skipped to the bathroom and placed my phone on the bathroom sink before putting it on loud speaker.

" _Your place. Im already here"_ My eyes widened.

"Already here? Edward what made you think i was going to say yes"

I heard him chuckle as i flung my bedroom door open and ran to the front door, there he was standing on the other side. He gave me a grin before hanging up our call.

"I hoped you would accept" I rolled my eyes and pulled him through the door.

"You wait here," i called over my shoulder as i ran back into my bedroom.

The sun was out today so i decided wear a simple white tank top, Flowy, floral high waisted skirt and a pair of tan sandals. I mentally thanked Alice for buying me all these ridiculous amounts of clothes, finally they had come in handy. Running to the bathroom, i splashed some water on my face and brushed my teeth. I decided to leave my hair out in its natural wave and a makeup less face, i had wasted to much time already and i felt awful leaving Edward out there waiting.

When i came out, he was waiting patiently by the door. He looked up as i approached and gave me a smile.

"Are we ready?" He asked holding out his arm. I giggle and laced mine with his.

"Lets go"

* * *

"Your usual?" Edward asked as we walked past a coffee cart. I nodded enthusiastically. Theres nothing more i wanted right now then a coffee. I was surprised my body was functioning without one.

He came back moments later with a steaming cup. We began to walk again. We had started our walk near the Palace hotel and were now walking around the pond.

I admired my surroundings, I loved living so close to Central Park, I loved living in New York all together, I don't think id be able to live anywhere else.

"I want to know more about you Bella" Edward started, picking off a bit of his bagel and chucking it to a duck about a metre away.

"Well what do you want to know" His eyebrows furrowed for a moment before he gave me a bright smile.

"How about a game?" I wanted to laugh, god i knew what was coming now. "20 Questions?"

I nodded and gestured for him to proceed. "Okay, first question. How did you meet Rose and Alice?"

"Rosalie I met about 3 years ago, she was a nurse then. She treated me and wanted in on what i was doing" He nodded thoughtfully. "And Alice, she's been with me from the start, we went to high school together."

This was actually the perfect time to gather some intel, why didn't i think about this before, "My turn, Your parents, Carlisle and Esme, Do you see them often?"

He shook his head sadly, "Not as often as i would like unfortunately, Stealing things is a busy job"

"Do they know what you do?" I asked, looking up into his sad eyes. He brightened up, giving me a grin and knocking his shoulder with mine playfully.

"Its not your turn" I rolled my eyes.

"So take it off my next turn, i forfeit my go, now answer my question!" He threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh.

"No they don't, They think I'm a doctor" My eyes widened. I must be so difficult to keep that lie. I was about to ask more about it when he cut me off, "You don't want to forfeit another go do you?"

I huffed and shook my head before letting him continue, "Now i get two questions in a row. What did you study in college?"

"Art" He rolled his eyes at me.

"Why am I not surprised. Let me guess, your main skill is forging things?"

I gave him a side glance and tried not to laugh, "Is this your second question?"

He pursed his lips and took a sip of coffee before shaking his head, "No, I already know your good at forging things"

He waited a moment before asking his next question, "When was your last relationship?"

I almost choked on my beverage, that was the last question i had expected him to ask. I actually had to think pretty hard about that one, did he mean real relationship or a fake one because I've been in a couple of those. "My last real relationship i think was High school"

I didn't count James as a relationship, merely just a guy a spent a lot of my time with and kissed once at a frat party. When i looked back up at Edward he looked surprised. "Don't look at me like that! Like you said stealing things is a busy job"

"What about you, when was your last relationship?" He looked away for a moment, before looking back to me and giving me a light smile.

"That would be about 3 years ago, around my senior year of collage"

"Bad break up?" He looked at me confused, "You just looked upset a moment ago, i assumed"

He shook his head, "Does this count as a second question?"

I couldn't help but laugh, "No it doesn't! Now answer my question!"

"It was a weird breakup i guess you could say, her name was Victoria and we had only really been seeing each other for a month. My friend was pissed that i was with her to the point where he got pretty violent about it, he ah-" He looked away again, "I don't really want to talk about it, I'm sorry"

I felt awful for asking now, he must still be in love with her or something like that. I couldn't help but feel disappointed and it obviously showed on my face, "Don't worry about it Bella, it was years ago, i feel nothing for her."

He pulled me to a stop and brushed a stray hair off my face and behind my ear. "I hardly felt anything for her then anyway, the only reason i acted like that just then is because of how difficult our relationship made my life."

I nodded in understanding and grasped his hand in mine, giving it a tight squeeze, before pulling away and walking ahead.

"Its your turn" I told him, slipping my hand into his and interlocking our fingers. He gave me a bright smile before asking his question.

"Do you trust me?" He asked, I hoped this wasn't his question.

"Yes?" I replied warily, He beamed at my answer and tugged me along, picking up pace.

"Edward what are you doing?" He pulled me to the edge of the park and we emerged out onto 5th avenue.

He hushed me and pulled me across the street before covering my eyes. I shrieked in surprise, but he held firmly over my eyes and pushed me along the side walk. What in the hell was he doing.

"Its a surprise Bella"

I would have rolled my eyes if they weren't covered. After a few moments he stopped and turned my body around before uncovering my eyes. In front of me was the Frick Museum, an amazing building that was once a home transformed into a museum. I had been here many times.

"I figured if you loved art as much as I do you would love this place" He was right, i did love this place, but it was only 8:30, this place didn't open until 10. I turned to Edward ready to break the news but his smile was so bright and happy i didn't think i could bear to tear him down.

"I know what your thinking Bella, I know its closed" Well I'm glad i didn't have to be the bearer of bad news, "But i happen to know a secret entrance"

He pulled me around to the back of the building and stood in front of a door, ready to open it, "By secret entrance i mean i have a key"

He unlocked the door and stepped out of the way for me to enter. I absolutely loved this place. The courtyard was my favourite part of the building. "We are scheduled for our own private viewing" He whispered, pulling me into one of the rooms.

The museum was filled with amazing western European art, dating back to the 1800's. This was one place i refused to steal from.

"What made you get into the business?" He asked me as we stopped in front of one of the paintings.

I had thought about whether or not i wanted to tell him the truth. There would be no harm in telling him i guess. "My dad. I needed the money"

"Is he alright?" I looked down at my feet and squeezed my eyes shut, i tried not to talk or think about him often. I felt Edwards hand encase my own.

"No he's not. My dad is the police chief of Forks, he was helping out a detective in Seattle when he got shot in the head" I heard Edward gasp, "It happened my senior year of collage, he survived but has been in a coma since. He didn't have enough money in his insurance to stay in the hospital and they threatened to pull the plug if we didn't get the money"

I took a deep breath and let a tear fall before continuing, "Thats why i started doing what i do, I put him in a fancy private hospital in Seattle, I keep his house running, i pay all of his bills to make sure everything is perfect when he wakes up"

I hadn't told that story in so long. The last person i told it to was Rosalie the night she joined us. "The police stopped looking for the person who tried to kill him years ago" Thats what the feds had offered me. They were going to track down the guy who did that to my dad if i brought in Edward and there was nothing more i wanted then revenge.

"Im so sorry Bella" Edward pulled me into his arms and held onto me tightly. I felt comfortable in this position, i felt safe.

My mind reeled back to those photos and i instantly felt sick. He placed his hand under my chin and lifted it up so i could look at him in the face. He gave me a reassuring smile and caressed my back.

"Oh Bella" he breathed, holding me closer.

I could feel myself leaning in and i noticed he was too. Finally no distractions. Only a little bit closer and i was where i wanted to be.

I could feel my heart hammering against my chest, i wondered for a moment if Edward could feel it. I don't think it had ever pounded his hard in my life.

I looked up at him and my eyes studied his features, I noticed for the first time a small scar above his eyebrow and i wondered how he had gotten it. At this moment Edward wasn't a killer, he was someone who i was starting to fall for, someone who i wanted to know everything about. And at that moment the waiting became to much and our lips finally met.

It was slow and soft and wonderful. The electric sparks shot around my body at lightning speed, i swear i was getting goose bumps.

If i was to die now, i was sure i would die the happiest girl on earth.

I pulled back when he tried to deepen the kiss, smiling shyly at him before pulling away. He held a goofy smile on his face as he stepped back.

"We don't want to get to carried away now, We have a whole museum to explore" He chuckled before holding out his hand to me while i happily grasped.

He bowed before pulling me into the next room, "Well your tour awaits milady"

* * *

Remember to review guys! xxx


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello everyone! I drew some inspiration and a few lines from the movie "focus" for this chapter, such a good movie, for those who have seen it you'll know which lines i used hehe! Hope you guys enjoy xx**

* * *

Bella POV

Edward and I had progressed our relationship over the past few weeks. Small chaste kisses and hand holding. Lots of spontaneous dates to all of my favourite places, we'd often have lunch at the Met, followed by a walk in the park; He took me to the zoo yesterday and it was the most fun i have had in years.

Now here we were lounging around the loft, his head rested on my stomach and my hands trailed down his back, spelling out the alphabet in motions over and over again.

"Hey love birds, we were thinking of going out tonight, You want to join us?" Alice called from the kitchen, Edwards head lifted off my stomach for a moment to shrug.

We hadn't been out in a while, al least not all of us as a group. We'd all been to wrapped up in our love lives to be around one another. "Yeah alright well come"

She appeared by the couch moments later, her hands clasped together, "Oh great! That means that Edward has to get lost so we can make you over for tonight! Its already 6, we have no time to waste!" She exclaimed pulling Edward off the couch and pushing him out the front door by the time i could even say goodbye.

"Alice" I tutted, crossing my arms over my chest. She rolled her eyes at me and bounced over to my room.

"Quick Bella we need to pick an outfit!"

It took over an hour for her to finally pick an outfit for me, but she decided on a Suede brown high-waisted skirt and a silk blouse, paired with my Black stilettos.

The next hour she dedicated to doing my make up and straightening my hair. She sprinted out of my room as soon as she was done yelling something about finding an outfit for herself and i was finally left by myself for a moment.

I took this time alone to admire her handiwork in the mirror, if she hadn't chosen a life in assisting me hack into things she could have defiantly had a career in the beauty and fashion industry.

I felt guilty, that i took that away from her; Alice had been my best friend since a young age and we were always attached at the hip. When i started this life Alice followed me, vouching to be there for me.

A gasp from behind me broke my thoughts, I stared into the mirror and saw Edward standing in the door of my bathroom, eyes wide and mouth open. "Bella" He let out a heavy breath.

I couldn't help but blush. I watched him and his eyes as they traced every inch of my body before he finally came up behind me and locked his strong arms around my waist and buried his face into my shoulder, inhaling heavily and letting out a deep sigh.

"You are exquisite Bella" I turned in his arms and trailed my hands up his muscular biceps. He wore a crisp white button up shirt and a pair of light brown chinos.

"I could say the same for you Mr Cullen" He gave me his breath taking crooked grin and lowered his face to mine. His scent was divine, a mix of cinnamon and fresh mint, my head swelled at his close proximity and he took my momentary lapse of concentration to lock his lips with mine.

The kiss was short but still passionate, he left me wanting more. He could see my frustration and leant down to give me another heart stopping kiss, a silent promise for more to come.

He backed away slowly and took in my appearance once more before linking his hand in mine and pulling me out the door and into the living room to meet the rest of our friends who were standing there patiently waiting.

"Are we all ready now?" Rosalie spoke up from her position next to Emmett, her face held a knowing smirk. We all nodded and headed out.

Alice relayed the plans when we got into the elevator, we were having Pre-drinks at a bar and would head out to the club at around 9:30. Knowing Alice she had the whole night planned out to a T.

When we arrived to our first destination and took a seat in a booth near the far wall. The bar was filled with men in expensive suits and high-class women. It was elegant and modern, a big change from the places Alice usually takes us. We placed our drink orders to the server who returned with them quickly.

I took a sip from my martini and glanced at Edward who's eyes were on me, he was about to lean in and kiss me when Emmetts booming laughter made us jump apart. I couldn't help but glare at him which he returned with blowing me a kiss, "Okay guys how about we have a bit of fun before we blow this popsicle stand" He had a mischievous grin and i knew that could only mean trouble.

"Emmett what are you talking about?" Jasper asked, finally retracting his lips from Alices for the first time since we arrived.

"Guys were sitting in a room filled with some of New Yorks richest men and woman" We all shared a look of confusion, Emmett only downed the rest of his beer and slammed the glass down on the table, "Watch and learn suckers"

He got up from the table and walked over to a woman at the bar, out of the corner of my eye i saw Rosalie cross her arms over her chest and i heard a muttered "This will be good"

We watched Emmett flirt with her, he leaned in, to everyone in the room it would have just looked like a man leaning in to whisper something into the girls ear, but to the table of trained cons, we saw that he had reached to the hand that rested on the bar and swiped the diamond ring from her hand, he pulled back and ordered her another drink before walking back over to our table. He came back smirking and dropped the huge ring onto the table.

I scoffed, "What a shit lift"

His eyes widened, "Are you kidding me that was a great lift?"

The rest of the table let out a chuckle, "Please, she was so drunk you could have taken her kidney"

"I knew she was drunk, how else was i supposed to make the lift, if she was sober she would have noticed" I shook my head and took a sip from my drink. He only huffed and plopped himself down in his seat, Rosalie had no trouble with comforting him whilst the rest of us laughed at him. He looked up at me and smirked, "Alright then Bella, if your so good, tell us how you'd do it" He urged.

I could have rolled my eyes, "Well first my victim wouldnt have to be drunk"

I turned my body to Edward but kept my eyes on Emmett, "Its simple, you have to keep the marks attention; Attention is like a spotlight. You have to keep their focus,"

I stroked Edwards face with one hand while my other hand slipped off his watch. "The key is always focus, because once you have their focus you can pull off the lift" I held up the watch and Edwards eyes widened, as did Emmett and Jaspers.

"What the hell, i didn't even feel you take that" Edward muttered in disbelief, before grabbing back his watch and fastening it back on his wrist.

"The human brain is slow and cannot multitask" Edward looked up just as i held up his wallet. He looked at me in shock and snatched his wallet back.

" _Jesus Christ_ " He hissed and i leaned in to give him a quick kiss before he slipped his wallet into his pocked again.

"You need to pull their attention," I grabbed the ring Emmett stole and slipped it onto my finger before holding my hand out in front of Edward, as i expected he looked down at it, "Human behaviour is predictable, I hold out my hand and your attention is pulled to it, now i can get close to you"

Everyone at the table kept their eyes on us as i demonstrated, "I touch you here" I ran my hands through his hair with one hand and lifted his phone with the other, "I steal from here"

He grinned at me before snatching his phone back, his eyes still on me, "I tap you here," I tapped his chest with one hand and swiped his keys with the other, "I steal from here" I chucked his keys in front of him and he caught them with a laugh.

"I squeeze you here" I gripped the inside of his thigh and he jumped a little at the contact so close to his 'prized possession', with my other hand i skilfully detached his watch from his wrist again and held it in front of him, "and I take from here"

He groaned and took his watch back as i looked at the members of our table, "You get their attention and everything you want is yours"

Alice and Rosalie let out a laugh at the look on the boys faces, they had seen me do these tricks over a thousand times, they were just as good as me at pulling them off. I was confused at how 3 successful con men were so surprised at easy lifts, i had heard over the past few months about the jobs they had pulled off.

"That was fucking sick,I want to try" Emmett proposed, clapping his hands together and standing up from the table.

"Emmett I really don't feel like getting hauled out of here by police because you got caught" He groaned and took a sip from the beer that a server had brought over just moments before.

I looked over at Rosalie and Alice, "Ladies, how about we show these boys how professionals do it"

I hadnt seen Rosalie and Alice at work for ages, it was usually me who did all the work and Rosalie and Alice worked behind the scenes.

Edward stood up from the table and let us girls pass, "Pull one of the classics? I'll take lead?" Rosalie asks, placing her purse on the table. We all nodded before heading off in different directions. I walked up to the bar and stood there for a moment. Keeping my eyes on Rosalie and Alice.

Rosalie scratched her nose and tilted her head to the left, a tell that she wanted me to look in that direction, a man in his late thirties stood on one side of the room with his friends and held a beer in his hand. Our target.

Rosalie strutted past him and accidentally bumped into him, spilling his beer down the front of his dress shirt and onto his pants. I watched the scene from my spot at the bar, she was apologising profusely, grabbing napkins and dabbing them on his crotch. I saw Alice start to walk and i knew that was my cue to go. I opened my purse as i started walking and pretended to be looking for something in it.

I looked up for a moment to see Rosalie leaning forward, her cleavage on display, still pressing a napkin into his crotch, from the look on his face he was loving it. She began to flirt with him and hooked her arm around his waist and her other hand still cleaning up his crotch, i saw her lift his wallet from his back pocket and she held it at the perfect moment for Alice to walk past and take it. Alice and I crossed paths and i looked back down to my purse as she slipped the wallet into my hand.

I kept walking until i got to the other side of the room and stopped near a mirror, taking out a lipstick from my bag and reapplying. I watched Rose in the reflection, the man had his arm around her and she looked down at the wedding ring on his hand before swinging out from under his arm, kissing him on the cheek and taking his watch. When she started to walk away i returned to the table where the boys sat watching in awe. Rose and Alice returned moments later.

"Holy shit that was awesome, please let me try" Emmett begged, putting his hands together like he was praying.

"Fine" I looked around the room and my eyes landed on a girl at the bar, a grin formed on my face, i pointed to her, "Take a lift from her, she should be easy enough"

Emmett nodded enthusiastically and stood up from the table, "Ill come with you, just incase you fuck things up"

He rolled his eyes and i let him walk ahead before i followed after him and took a seat at the bar.

"Hey I'm Emmett" He introduced himself, holding his hand out. She looked up at him and swung her brown locks over her shoulder, she smiled and shook his hand, "Jessica"

He began his flirting right away, buying her a drink and placing a hand on her knee at times. He leaned in to kiss her cheek and whisper something in her ear and thats when i saw his hand reach over to her purse that sat on the bar. She pulled back abruptly with a glare on her face, "Are you trying to steal my purse?" She accused.

He blinked rapidly and shook his head, "No no of course not, i was just trying to get closer to you" In his shock, i saw that she had swiped his watch.

She scoffed and crossed her arms, "Really because from what i saw it looked like you were trying to steal my purse"

He panicked and let out a deep sigh, "Your right I'm sorry, that was stupid"

I couldn't hold back my groan. I jumped up from my seat at the bar and walked over to him.

"Jesus Christ Emmett, She played you" He looked up at me in shock.

"What?" She held up his watch and passed it back to. She knew what he was trying to pull the moment he sat down. "H-how?" He stuttered. She chuckled and took a sip from her drink.

"Good try, could use a little work"

"How did you make me?" He asked, stunned by the turn of events.

"I made you the first time you tried to reach for my purse" I let out a laugh and patted him on the arm.

"You gave up so quickly," he shook his head franticly and he was about to defend himself when i held my hand up to stop him before i continued, "First of all, you gotta wait until she's completely distracted, whispering to her won't do much and second you never drop the god damn con Emmett"

I smacked him upside the head, "You die with the lie"

I turned to Jessica and smiled, she spoke first, "Hey Bella, long time no see, hows business?"

Emmett looked between us both in shock, "You two know each other?" He questioned.

"Oh yeah, Me and Jess go way back. You still pulling the suckers?" She nodded and swung the chain of her purse over her shoulder and jumping off the bar stool before downing the rest of her drink.

"Thanks for the laugh Bella, always good to see you" She turned to Emmett and gave him a grin, "Good try but"

She winked at us both before walking out of the bar.

Emmett looked up at me in disbelief before narrowing his eyes at me, "You played me? You knew her!"

I patted him on the back,"Maybe a little" I admitted, holding out my hand and pulling him off the seat, "Its time to go"


	15. Chapter 15

_I watched Emmett slip the watch off the mans wrist with one hand and caress his cheek with the other. We all laughed as the man leaned in to kiss him and Emmett tilted his head to get away from it, he was almost to late._

 _We watched him give him a wiggle of his fingers as a goodbye and strut away from the bar and back to our table with a scrowl on his face._

 _"Fuck you guys, I'm never pretending to be gay to get a rolex ever again"_

I chuckled at the memory as Edward snapped his head in my direction before putting his eyes back on the road. "What are you laughing about Beautiful?" He asked pulling up to the curb and turning off the car.

"Just that night when we went to the club and Emmett pretended to be gay" He chuckled before exiting the car. By the time i gathered my purse and my coat Edward had opened my car for me to step out. Ever the gentleman.

I looked up at the sign over the front door, Verde Luna.

Edward and I loved this place. We walked hand in hand through the front door and up to the hostess at her podium.

"Reservation for Cullen" He spoke, giving my hand a little squeeze. I stared at the hostess, who leaned forward a bit too much to grab two Menus. I got an unwanted eyeful of her cleavage.

"This way" She ushered us to a table for two near the bar. The table held a tea light candle and a single rose. Simple and romantic.

Edward held out my seat for me to sit and gave me a little wink before taking a seat across from me. "Let me know if i can get you anything" The hostess leaned forward yet again to set the menus down on the table, before flicking her blond hair over her shoulder and strutting back to the front of the store.

Edward obviously noticed me glaring at her because he let out a chuckle and covered my hand with his own. "My eyes only see you"He professed. I could feel the heat of my blush rise up my neck and onto my cheeks.

He furrowed his eyes brows and huffed, "I hate when the tables are like this, i want my chair to be over there so i can be close to you" He motioned to the right side of the table before looking around the room around us, obviously checking if anyone was watching him. He picked up his silver wear and placed them on the side of the table he motioned to previously and grasped the arm rests of his chair. He tried to scootch his chair over but the sound of the wood scraping against the hardwood floor made me and everyone in the restaurant cringe.

He looked up eyes wide, before silently apologising to the angry elderly couple next to us who were enjoying a 'quiet' romantic dinner. i giggled at the bashful look on Edwards face before picking his hand up and giving it a gentle kiss.

He decided on staying in his original spot and moved his utensils back in their positions, "Sorry" He whispered.

"Don't be" Moments later he motioned to the waitress who brought back a bottle of red wine and two glasses.

"What the hell, how did he know that you wanted wine" He didn't answer my question, he only smiled and poured me a glass, "Edward, is there some sort of hand signal i need to learn?"

He still didn't answer, just took a sip from his wine and opened his menu. I still stared at him, waiting to answer, he looked up seconds later with a cheeky grin on his face, "I called in advance to let them know that the Cullen table would be requesting a bottle of their best wine," he spoke like it was the most simple thing in the world and i guess in a sense it was.

He looked back down at his menu whilst i studied the room, the restaurant was old, family owned for many generations. A boy in his early twenties worked behind the bar, his sisters were the waitresses, their grandfather was the owner. A classic traditional Itailan restaurant with Nonna working in the kitchen.

It had recently been renovated and restored to its original glory, A map of Italy hung on the back wall, surrounded by photos of the family, recent photos and old black and white ones. This restaurant held so much history.

I played with the edge of the red and white checked table cloth and took a sip from my wine, waiting for Edward to decide. He looked up at me and zoned in on my closed menu, "Are you going to decide what to get?" He asked.

I shook my head, "Ive already chosen"

He rolled his eyes as the waitress came to collect our order, i didn't even need to tell Edward what i decided on because he already knew, i got the same every time.

He held up his glass when the waitress left, "A toast?"

I giggled and looked down at my own glass before looking back at him, "whats the occasion"

He held a finger to his pursed lips before grinning, "Our four month anniversary"

Had it really been that long? Well they do say time flies when your having fun. We spent almost all of our free time together, walking through central park, visiting museums; it had been one of the happiest times in my entire life. We'd play games in the museums we visited, planning how we would break in and steal an art work, the best plan wins obviously.

Although during the happy times, that though still lingerers in the back of my mind. Edwards father. Edward the killer.

God Bella your at dinner with him don't think about that shit.

I threw back my head and let out a laugh before lifting my glass and tapping it with his, "Happy Anniversary Edward"

He ducked his head and gave me an adorable smile.

My Edward, the killer.

* * *

I had a wonderful time, we ate and laughed and even got up and danced after dinner. Edward paid the bill, even though i insisted he didn't, and we decided to take a stroll in the park.

I rubbed my full belly thoughtfully and thought back to my delicious Mushroom ravioli. My thoughts were cut off by the sound of a trill of a cell phone, it was Edwards.

He looked at it and groaned, before kissing me on the cheek swiftly, "Im sorry its my mom"

I shook my head and waved my hand, taking a seat on a near by bench; he sat down beside me before answering. "Hey mom, how are you"

He waited a few moments before speaking again, obviously listening to her speak.

"Im good actually, yeah I'm out to dinner with Bella" I was shocked to hear him mention me, he noticed because he gave me a grin and squeezed my knee. "Yeah I'm really sorry i haven't been to visit, I've been pretty busy here"

Had he told his mom about me? Did that mean he though of this as a serious relationship. Well it must be if he told his mom. Oh god i wonder what he's said about me.

"Yeah i have some time off, ill come and visit" He paused and smiled to himself, "Yeah i will, ill ask her"

"Okay... Okay mom, yes i love you too, ill text you with the details of the flight. Ill see you soon... yes okay, bye" He ended the call and looked up at me, all smiles.

He looked very cheery after his phone call, so cheery it was freaking me out, "What?" I cautioned leaning back away from him. He laughed and wrapped his arm around my shoulder before pulling me to his chest.

"Okay i need to ask you something" He muttered into my hair, "You can say no, i won't take offence to it, but I've been summoned upon a higher being to ask you this"

I tilted my head upwards to look at him but only got a view of under his jaw. "How would you feel about coming with me tomorrow to visit my parents in seattle?"

Holy shit.

I didn't know how i felt about this, meeting Edward parents. But were they really Edwards parents? Were we really up to this stage in our relationship? Maybe we are really that serious. Maybe this would be a perfect time to gather some information about his parents.

I suddenly felt sad, i didn't want this meeting to be about finding intel on Edwards life, i wanted it to be about Bella, his girlfriend, meeting his parents for the first time, a step forward.

He looked nervous, well i might as well put him out of his misery. "Id love too Edward, thank you"

He suddenly brightened up and held me tighter. "Oh i can't wait for you to meet them Bella, they'll love you" He jumped up from the bench and held his out out to me, "Come on we'll have to pack and book flights"

I laughed at how giddy he was.

Oh my Edward, the killer.


	16. Chapter 16

"Okay flights are booked" Edward announced as i zipped up my suitcase.

"And bags are packed" I replied. He looked up at me from his position on his bed and gave me a smile.

"Thank you for coming with me" I picked up my bag and placed it next to the door before joining him on the bed.

He lifted up his arms and i took that as an invitation to cuddle into them, "Thank you for asking me, I'm actually kind of excited"

He placed a soft kiss on my forehead, "So am i. So we'll stay at my place tonight and go straight to the airport from there?"

Our flight was at 7 and Edward thought it would be a good idea for me to stay at his apartment. I knew that could only mean one thing.

Was i ready for that with Edward yet? I mean Im not exactly a virgin but i don't know if i was prepared to do that with him yet. Would he be expecting it? It had been a long time for me.

I hadn't had sex since college and i tried to keep sex out of the equation when i was on a job. What if i wasn't good enough? Oh my god, what if he doesn't like 'bald' women?

"... Maybe we could grab some dinner before we get to mine too; Bella are you listening to me?"

I was snapped out of my thoughts and brought back to reality right at the end of Edwards sentence. No i wasn't listening, shit.

"Yeah, sounds great, should we get going now?" He nodded enthusiastically and jumped off the bed, grabbing my suitcase and taking it out the door with him. Oh what a gentleman.

"I'll call that thai place we like near my apartment and ill grab it when we get there" he called over his shoulder.

Id been to Edwards apartment once whilst we'd been dating but that was in his foyer waiting whilst he ran upstairs to grab a jacket. I wanted to snoop around but the few short minutes he was upstairs wouldn't have given me enough time.

When i walking out of my room he was at the front door waiting for me.

The walk from our apartments wasn't to far, we just lived on opposites sides of the park from each other, i could see his apartment from my bedroom window. He was so close all along.

The thai place near Edwards apartment was only a block away, he hadn't called yet which means he'd have to wait in the restaurant for a while longer and i wasn't going to remind him to call.

I could see 'Don's Thai' up ahead and i was waiting for him to realise he hadn't ordered yet; almost as if on cue he groaned, "Shit i completely forgot to order" Ya think?

"I won't make you wait with me," He shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. Shit that was easy, "You go up to the apartment, relax and pick a movie. Ill be up in about 10 minutes"

He rolled his eyes when we got closer to the restaurant and saw the line up of people at the door waiting for their orders, "Maybe make that 30 minutes"

I chuckled and took my luggage from him, "Don't take to long" I whispered as i planted a kiss on his cheek.

I quickened my pace towards his apartment, i could see it up ahead. His door man looked up with a grin. I was only metres away now, "Good Afternoon Bella"

I nodded my head and returned the grin, "Afternoon Arthur" He pulled open the door for me and stepped aside for me to enter, "Will Mr Edward be joining you soon"

"Yeah he'll be here soon" I replied as i walked towards the elevator. 20th floor, Penthouse. Moments later the doors opened and i stepped in, inserting the key Edward gave me into a slot in the wall.

The building had good security and private elevator for the Penthouse. I understood why Edward loved this building so much. It would have to cost him a fortune living here, although in our line of work, money isn't really an issue.

I'd have to act quickly when i got to his apartment, i wouldn't have time to do a thorough search. When the doors opened i dropped my luggage by the door and sprinted through the open foyer and took a left past the kitchen and into his office.

Okay Bella, drawers first, then check behind paintings after. I made my way around his desk and started searching his drawers. Bills, Bills, Bills and more bills. I couldn't help but slam the drawer shut in frustration, of course he couldn't have helped me out and put the incriminating stuff out in the open. But that would be to easy.

I checked his filing cabinet next. The files were all marked with shit like 'electricity, insurance' that kind off stuff. But a file at the back caught my eye, 'Chicago'.

I pulled it out and started leafing through the pages, only skimming the words. Most of the papers were about a house, insurance, electricity, water bills. I didn't know Edward owned a house in Chicago. A photo slipped out from the pages and filtered to the floor. I recognised this house. 15 Howard Avenue, Chicago.

i knew this house. I recognised it from the photos Agent Jones showed me. This was the house Edward lived in. The same house he killed his father in.

The last bill he paid for the home was from this month. Why was his still paying for this house?

I took photos of the files and shoved it back into its original spot. Id been in his office for a while and i needed to get out of here before he came back.

I made sure to remove any evidence that id been snooping around in here and jogged out to the foyer to grab my belongings. I'd take them up to Edwards room and have a little snoop up there. His room was beautiful, the bed was one of my favourite parts, 4 post, wrought iron frame, the mattress felt as if you were laying in a cloud. His white sheets and comforter matching the walls and all the other furniture in the room. To the right of his bed was the door to the ensuite, to the left was his wardrobe. My second favourite part of the room was the floor to ceiling windows that stretched across the whole wall, with a beautiful view of central park and my loft, i could see my window from here.

His room felt so private yet so open at the same time; you could see everything from up here, but no one could see you.

Across from his bed was a large stone fireplace, above it was covered in picture frames, some had people i didn't recognise. One photo that caught my eye was a photo of Edward in a graduation cap and gown. From the background of the photo it was taken on the campus of a school i didn't recognise, high school maybe?

The small clock on the mantle caught my eye, I had been snooping for about half an hour. Edward would return soon and i defiantly did not want to be caught looking around in his room.

I sprinted out and into his kitchen. His wine cabinet was extensive, like you could pull that thing out of the wall and there would be more wine down the sides. A red would go perfectly with thai food. I pulled one out of the cabinet and placed it on the bench.

I should pour some now, just in case he comes home and wonders what I've been doing for so long. I pop open the bottle and pour two glasses.

I grab them both and take them too his living room, the room is quite large, the floor to ceiling windows making it feel even bigger. The room was accented with warm woods and marble flooring; a black leather couch sat almost in the centre of the room and behind it were wall-to-wall bookshelves to create a fortress around an easy chair and lamp. He didn't skimp on technology either; a large iPad looking remote sat on the couch, i hardly knew how to work it but last time i was here i saw Edward use it to bring down a huge projector screen from the roof and to dim the lights.

i flopped onto the lounge and cradled my wine glass against my chest, i couldn't ignore the growling in my stomach any longer, Edward had better hurry up with that food or i was going to starve.

I let out an unattractive groan and slid deeper into the couch, glaring at the art piece metres in front of me above yet another fireplace. The picture was bothering me. I tilted my head slightly and figured out what it was, it was crooked.

The OCD in me twitched. I need to fix it, or else ill be thinking about it all night.

I jumped up and placed my wine glass on the mantel; I pushed it up with my index finger, hoping it would correct itself, but it wouldn't budge, like something was stopping it from moving.

I ran my hand up the side of the painting and felt a little latch.

I didn't even have time to react when the painting swung open from the wall effectively knocking my wine glass off the mantel onto me and all over the floor. It shattered into tiny pieces around my bare feet.

"fucking great Bella, you idiot" I muttered to myself, pulling off my uncomfortable wet dress that was now stained in red wine.

I heard the Elevator ding and my entire body clenched. I panicked and looked to the painting to see what damage i had done.

There was no damage at all, simply what id been looking for this entire time. Behind the painting was a safe, looked pretty easy to go into with the right equipment. I didnt have time to plan how i was going to get into it i needed to act fast.

My body kicked into gear and i stepped up to the mantel, stepping in glass as i went and closing up the painting/door and latching it up again.

My feet were aching and when i looked down i could see blood smearing on the marble floors.

I could hear his footsteps, he was coming closer.

"Bella?"

Holy shit.

In my mission to get the painting door closed i completely forgot i was standing in Edward living room, half naked.

Holy shit.

This can't be happening.

There was nothing i could do now.

He stepped around the corner and his eyes widened in surprise.

"What the hell happened in here?" His eyes caught site of my bloodied feet and he rushed over to me, dropping the thai food on the ground and picking me up from the glass. Not caring about my unclothed form. I thanked the lord that i thought of wearing a matching lingerie set, id be more embarrassed wearing my Hello Kitty boy shorts, "What did you do to yourself Bella?"

He set me up on the counter and kneeled down in front of me, brushing off pieces of glass from my feet. "You know how clumsy i am, i tripped walking back to the kitchen and dropped the glass. Im really sorry"

He narrowed his eyes at me, "Don't apologise Bella. Ill need to get the med kit from under the sink, sit tight" and with that he rushed off to the bathroom across the hall. I sighed in relief, he didn't suspect a thing.

He returned moments later with a small red bag in his hand. "I knew you were clumsy Bella but i didn't know you were that clumsy" He chuckled.

He wiped away some of the blood with a wash cloth and brought out some tweezers, "I just need to get some of the pieces that are stuck in your foot, there all pretty tiny pieces so you defiantly won't need stitches"

I flinched when he picked and prodded at my foot but soon enough he had finished both feet and had wrapped them in a thin bandage.

"Thank you Edward, I'm still really sorry, especially for making a mess" He shook his head and gave me a little grin before leaning down and giving me a soft kiss.

"I told you not to worry" He looked over his shoulder at the thai food forgotten on the ground in there containers, "You go get some of that food and relax and ill clean up the mess"

Before i could even object he had me up over his shoulder and onto the couch seconds later.

I looked up at the painting as he cleaned, what could he be hiding in there.

I jumped when he sat himself down next to me and buried his face into my shoulder, "You like the painting?"

"I- ah.. yeah i do, its really nice, i don't recognise it but, who's the artist?" I stuttered, quickly shovelling some food into my mouth before i made a fool out myself.

"My mother actually, she paints as a hobby, although i think she could have made it a career" He hummed, placing a gentle kiss on my shoulder before putting one of his T-shirts on my lap. "You can wear that while your dress is in the wash"

I smiled appreciatively, "Thank you. I can't wait to meet the artist in person"

He chuckled, "I know she feels the same about you"

* * *

 **Sorry about how long it took to write guys! This chapter gave me a bit of trouble! Tell me what you guys think and whether or not I should change the rating to M later in the story! Review! xxx**


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